


Devour

by solohux



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alpha Hux, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Kylo Ren, Knotting, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Kylo Ren, Protective Hux, Snoke is creepy, Top Hux, and the Kylo/Snoke is only a couple of scenes, the noncon isn't between Hux and Kylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:29:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 52,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solohux/pseuds/solohux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kylo's heat suppressant medication gets destroyed on Starkiller Base. He goes into heat on board the Finalizer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I was first working on this a couple of weeks ago when I saw that a similar story had been posted (basically the same plot outline) so I lost motivation to carry it on. But after posting about it on tumblr, some lovely people encouraged me to carry on. So here we are! Thank you to those who convinced me to continue! Also a fellow Kylux shipper was talking to me about how much she liked omega Kylo and mpreg so hopefully this satisfies her needs too! I hope you all enjoy it.  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux is informed that Ren has caused a stir in the medical wing after he'd woken up in a rage. Hux goes to Ren's quarters find out what's wrong, only to find something completely unexpected.

In all his years of building and serving the First Order, Hux can honestly say he’s never met anyone as reckless as Kylo Ren.

Hux prides himself on his organisation, his control and management in every situation he's put in, except the ones where Ren is involved. Considering it now, Hux supposes that their numerous clashes and arguments are the result of them both being alphas; both fighting against one another for the dominance of everything around them. From an early age, and particularly from his father, Hux had learned that the First Order has strict rules regarding the enrolling of alphas, betas and omegas into its ranks. Alphas are only assigned to the highest of ranks, Hux included in this, and betas to the subordinate roles like their nature determines. Omegas aren’t accepted into the Order; under no circumstances are omegas allowed to take on a rank within such an esteemed military and political organisation. Hux knows this from his teachings at Arkanis Academy; omegas and their heat cycles are too unpredictable and having one on board such an important and confined ship like the _Finalizer_ could run the risk of the compromising the alpha officers on board, and Hux firmly includes himself in this category. He won't allow the integrity of his position to be compromised by an omega in heat. But Hux is compltely confident that there are no omegas on board his ship; none to compromise the outstanding performances of his officers. All is safe.

Hux finds his mind drifting to Kylo Ren, the only other alpha that he has constant contact with. Ren is strong, powerful, _unpredictable._ When they had first met a number of years ago, Hux had found it difficult to sense Ren's biological status, but Hux guesses that was the result of Ren being such a strong Force-user. But when Hux had finally found out that Ren is an alpha like him, Hux recalls the _almost_ disappointment he’d felt, knowing that he could never be mated to such a powerful man. A powerful, _handsome_ man…

Hux shakes off the inappropriate thoughts, forcing his mind to drift away from Ren as he contemplates what he’s recently lost. Starkiller base was meant to be the big, indestructible weapon that he knew the Death Star was designed to be but now, Hux’s planet-sized weapon is gone, destroyed by the meddling Resistance. Hux is sure Ren is partly to blame; if he had stuck to their original plan of intercepting and capturing the droid with the map on Takodana then perhaps the outcome for Starkiller would have been different. Still, Hux is sure that Snoke would have a back-up plan for them to follow once they reached him. The _Finalizer_ is halted in First Order-dominated space whilst Ren receives the medical treatment he needs for his various battle wounds. Absently, Hux supposes they _should_ be on their way to Snoke but the medical staff on board had suggested that the ship remain stationary as Lord Ren would need to be kept heavily sedated whilst the worst of his wounds are attended to. Hux sees their point; the last thing they need after suffering such a defeat at the hands of the Resistance is for the _Finalizer_ to be destroyed by Ren in a fit of rage. Too many of the ship’s consoles have been lost as a result of Ren not being able to control his temper and Hux isn’t currently in the mood for dealing with one of Ren’s tantrums.

He stands on the bridge of the _Finalizer_ whilst his officers bustle around him. The background noise of the beeping consoles is oddly soothing to him, it reminds him of his successes; rising through the ranks above the other alphas in his classes to become General and being fully in charge of this ship and _was_ in charge of Starkiller. His peace, however, is rudely interrupted by his young, beta Ensign approaching him. Hux doesn’t turn until the small man speaks.

“General? I have an urgent message for you, sir. It’s from medbay.”

Hux sighs. He already knows what the problem is. He asks anyway. “What is it, Ensign?”

The small man visibly shakes. “It’s Lord Ren, sir. The medics say he pushed through the sedatives and awoke in a rage. He…has since fled the scene, sir.”

“And _why_ does this concern me?”

“The medics are asking for you. Sir.”

Hux rolls his eyes but begins to walk down to their medical wing, a couple of decks below the bridge. He couldn’t have _five minutes_ of peace without Ren tearing something apart in an unnecessary rage. Has Hux not dealt with enough these past few days? The loss of Starkiller and a significant number of First Order officers has hit him hard, more so than he cares to admit. Perhaps a stern word with Ren’s master was needed. Hux is sure a strong alpha like Leader Snoke would be able to intervene with such destructive behaviour, seeing as Hux feels like he’s reaching the end of his tether. If Ren were a beta, Hux would have found a way to tame him by now.

When he reaches medbay, the scene is an utter mess. Medical equipment, including the droids, have been torn apart as bits of them lie scattered across the floor, making the scene look more like a junkyard than a medical wing. Hux finds himself stepping over sparking wires in an attempt to talk to the medic in charge, who is stood talking to a couple of other medical personnel.

“General,” the head medic greets him with a shaky tone to his voice, “thank you for taking the time from your schedule to come down here.”

“What happened?” Hux asks, looking into the sideroom where Ren had been recieving treatment. All of the furniture in the room has been thrown aside, presumably from Ren’s use of the Force, and lies in broken heaps. Hux is sure he sees a little blood on the floor too.

“Everything was running as planned, General. Lord Ren was being treated successfully whilst being kept under heavy sedation.” The doctor pushes his glasses up his freckled nose, looking slightly traumatised as he recalls what had unfolded. “But he…came around, somehow. He pushed all of our staff away from him, destroyed much of our equipment and fled.”

Hux frowns. “Did he say anything?”

The medic shakes his head. “No, sir. Nothing. The majority of his wounds have been fixed but I’m afraid he may have torn his bowcaster wound open in his rage. He looked incredibly distressed, as though he’d awoken from a terrible nightmare.”

 _That’s entirely plausible,_ Hux thinks, recalling the rumours he’s heard from his subordinates about Ren killing Han Solo by driving his lightsaber through his chest, looking at him straight in the eyes as he did so. Surely killing one’s own father had to have _some_ repercussions, dark side or not.

“Thank you, doctor. Ensure this mess is cleaned up as quickly as possible. I will attempt to find Lord Ren.”

Hux turns quickly on his heel and heads straight to Ren’s quarters, knowing that his personal room is the only place where Ren finds solitude after he has had particularly rough day. Hux walks quickly down the corridors, feeling slightly anxious at the thought of what state he’s going to find Ren in. If the Knight is still reeling from his fight with the scavenger girl, then Hux isn’t sure what use he would be to Ren. The Knight’s temperament is something that Hux hasn’t found a way to control. Yet. Alpha or otherwise, Hux feels an overhwhelming desire to dominant Ren...in more ways that one.

As Hux arrives on the deck where Ren’s quarters are, he’s stopped by two Stormtroopers, armed with their bulky blasters. They step in front of him abruptly, blocking his path.

“Lord Ren has instructed us not to allow any person down this corridor, General. Not even you. Sir.” The Stormtrooper has a hint of hesitancy in his voice, as though he knows that this order from Ren isn’t going to sit well with General Hux. He's right.

“Don’t be absurd, trooper. Step aside or else I shall have no choice but to place you both under formal arrest.” Hux feels what little patience he has left slip away. Ren is such an insolent _child._

The troopers turn to look at each other and Hux raises his eyebrows.

“O-of course, General,” one stutters as they move out of his way, the two of them leaving the corridor altogether as though they do not wish to face Ren’s wrath for not carrying out his orders. Hux watches them go and internally curses Ren again. These tantrums are getting out of hand. Never before has Ren attempted to barricade Hux from getting down a corridor, on Hux's _own_ ship, no less.

Hux takes long strides down the corridor and suddenly becomes very aware of a strong scent, so strong that he finds himself stopping dead in his tracks. It’s the scent of an omega in heat. A strong, full heat. Hux turns around to look back down the corridor. There’s no one else up here besides him and Ren. Slowly, he turns back around and continues to walk towards Ren’s door. The scent becomes stronger and stronger. Hux flexes his fingers in his gloves, feeling extremely hot under his collar. The realisation of what is occuring hits him hard.

_Ren is an omega. Ren is in heat. And I’m walking towards him._

Hux presses his hot ear to Ren's door, hearing groans coming from the other side. Hux suddenly becomes aware of the tightness of his own trousers, of his growing arousal. Of course, Ren has locked the door but Hux, being General and holding the highest position on the _Finalizer,_ has his own override code. Hux has never used it before and hopes that he remembers the 6-digit code correctly. The keypad on the side of the door flashes green and Hux breathes a sigh of relief. The door swishes open and the scent of Ren’s heat nearly knocks Hux back. He steps in gingerly and the door automatically closes behind him, trapping inside Ren's quarters.

Ren is lying in the middle of the floor, wearing nothing but loose-fitting black trousers that he usually wears when meditating. His naked torso is slicked with sweat and Hux notes the blood on the bandage wrapped around his middle from the bowcaster wound. The blood, however, doesn’t look fresh and Hux realises that that wound is causing Ren no discomfort. The large gash that Ren has running down his face looks as though its healing well too though Hux notes that it will probably leave a scar. Ren’s eyes look a little clouded as he writhes on his back, his fingers clawing at the floor. His breath is heavy, his chest heaving for air and for relief of the heat that’s already overtaken him. Hux looks down at Ren with hungry eyes, feeling his own mind becoming more clouded as he steps closer to the writhing omega.

Ren manages to make eye-contact with Hux, obviously sensing that Hux is an alpha, and Hux notes that there’s barely any brown to be seen in his irises, taken over by black. Ren is too far gone to be brought back down without giving him want he wants, what he needs.

“H-Hux,” Ren reaches up to the General, his hand outstretched, begging. “ _Please.”_

Hux wipes a droplet of sweat from his own forehead with the back of his leather glove. “I can’t, Ren. You know I can’t.” An alpha taking an omega during a heat would mean they would be mated. Hux is almost sure that that’s not what Ren would want if he were in his own sound mind. _But is it what I want?_ He thinks absently, reminding himself of how handsome he finds Ren, how he's found himself wishing that their biologies were different so they _could_ mate.

Attempting to ignore the fog in his own mind, Hux bends down next to Ren and helps him to stand with the intention of aiding Ren over to the bed whilst he devises an alternate plan of action to combat Ren’s heat. Surely medbay must have some sort of medication? He supposes not, seeing as no omegas are meant to be on board. He slips his arm around Ren’s shoulders and begins to half-carry the delirious Knight over to the bed. He suddenly becomes hyperaware of Ren’s presence against him as Ren presses his lips to Hux’s neck, sucking gently. Hux is unable to stop his eyes from rolling, relishing in the feeling of Ren’s tongue against his skin.

“Hux,” Ren whispers between his nipping at Hux’s neck, “I _need_ you.”

Hux’s eyes flutter close, feeling himself slipping into his rut. “W-we can’t, Ren. We-”

Hux’s sentence is cut off as Ren grabs Hux’s face in his hands and kisses him hard on the lips, desperate for the General’s attention. Hux finds himself letting go of the restraints in his mind as the alpha inside him takes over and he kisses Ren back, his gloved hand moving up Ren’s naked, muscular back. Hux can’t help but grind his hardening cock against Ren’s hip, desperate to take the unmated omega and mark him, own him. He gasps as Ren’s hand begins to palm against the front of his trousers. In a quick movement, Ren falls to his knees and takes Hux’s trousers with him, pulling the alpha's hard cock out of his black boxers. No sooner than Hux has stepped out of his trousers and underwear is Ren’s tongue licking at the tip of Hux’s cock, desperate to pleasure him. Hux knits his fingers in Ren’s long, dark hair, massaging his fingers against his scalp. Ren moans as he takes Hux’s entire length into his mouth, causing Hux to throw his head back, a low grunt being ripped from his throat. Hux runs his hand down from Ren’s head to along his jawline, tipping his chin up to look at him as Ren gives Hux’s cock one final suck before letting it go. Ren stands up, Hux’s gloved finger still under his chin. As they step back towards the bed, Ren falls first, landing on his back and pulling Hux on top of him. Hux’s lips are quick to find Ren’s again, the pair grinding their hips together and the scent of mating overpowering the air around them.

Hux sheds his gloves and removes his jacket and shirt, tossing them aside. He moves down the bed slightly and pulls Ren’s trousers off, followed quickly by his undergarments, hearing the omega whine as his body prepares itself for Hux's knot. Hux pushes Ren’s legs apart and sits between them, running his hands along the inside of Ren’s thighs, his cock leaking precum as Hux’s fingers get closer to it. Wrapping his fingers around the shaft, Hux begins to jerk Ren’s cock, leaning forward to take the omega’s mouth against his own. Ren moans almost uncontrollably into the alpha’s mouth as Hux touches him, the heat in his stomach growing as they get closer to each other.

Grabbing his ass cheeks and spreading them with one hand, Hux runs a finger across Ren’s wet entrance, watching as the Knight’s thighs already begin to tremble. Hux pushes two fingers in slowly, rotating them teasingly. He hears Ren exhale a shaking breath.

“Hux, _please,_ ” Ren says through gritted teeth and Hux looks up at him to see him already grasping at the dark sheets, desperate for Hux’s knot. “I need you. Now!”

Hux feels something inside himself begin to burn after hearing Ren say that he needs him, like the alpha has truly awakened, like he's been completely overhwlemed with his desire to mark Ren as  _his_ omega. He complies with Ren’s wishes and lines himself up to Ren’s entrance and pushes his cock in gently, hearing Ren groan and his back arch a little off the bed.

“Shh,” Hux soothes, running his palm along Ren’s stomach. “Relax, Ren.”

Hux gradually increases his pace, feeling Ren’s wetness growing around his cock. He thrusts himself into the omega, the scent of the heat completely overtaking all of his senses, the desire to breed Ren being the most powerful thing he's ever felt. Ren lies with his head thrown back and Hux finds himself staring at Ren’s jugular, watching it move and twitch with every breath. Still thrusting, Hux leans forward and presses his lips against Ren’s for a quick second before moving to his neck. At first, he finds himself sucking at the skin as Ren _whines_ beneath him, coming undone underneath Hux’s mouth. The desire to mark Ren as _his_ becomes too overwhelming and Ren soon feels the sharpness of Hux’s teeth against his neck. Hux bites down, not hard enough to draw blood but with a strong enough pressure that a clear mark would be left on Ren’s neck.

“Say my name, omega,” Hux says as he moves his lips from away from Ren’s neck, feeling proud of the mark he’s left on Ren's pale skin. He sits back and runs his hand through his red hair, combing back the group of loose strands that have fallen onto his sweating forehead. He grabs Ren’s calves and throws his legs up onto his shoulders, aggressively increasing his thrusting.

“Hux!” Ren calls out, his fingers turning white as he grips the sheets in his palms in a futile attempt to keep some control over himself. Ren’s moans are extremely loud, something which only spurs Hux on further. He’s always loved a loud fuck and Ren seems only happy to do whatever Hux asks.

“Good boy,” Hux praises.

Gliding his fingers towards Ren’s dripping cock, he wraps his hand around it and Ren grunts loudly, sounding completely primal as Hux jerks him off. Ren manages to look up at Hux with big eyes, Hux smirks back at him, watching as Ren’s mouth falls open in breathless moans. With each moan from Ren, Hux feels his knot growing inside him. Hux finds himself growing short of breath and he's sure that he’s about to come.

“Knot me, Hux, I need you,” Ren says in a whisper that Hux barely hears. “Please.”

Hux pulls Ren’s legs from off his shoulders so he can thrust quicker, desperate to fill Ren up with his come, the need to knot him becoming too strong for him to handle. With his hand still wrapped around Ren’s cock, he jerks the omega, wanting them both to orgasm at the same time. As Hux feels his knot swell, he slides his thumb over the tip of Ren’s cock, rubbing it in a gentle manner. Ren tenses up completely, his eyes roll back and his back arches off the bed. Hux feels Ren’s walls spasm around his cock, sending him over the edge too.

“ _H-uux!”_ Ren yells, his breath hitching in his throat, feeling completely overwhelmed by his orgasm and the sensation of Hux’s knot breeding him. His thighs shake as his own come shoots onto his stomach. Hux gives one last thrust, burying himself up to the hilt inside Ren, his knot completely swelled and coming inside him.

Hux looks at Ren, who’s struggling to get his breathing under control. Hux leans forward and kisses Ren in a much softer way than before. The omega reaches up and touches Hux’s cheek, running his hand through Hux’s messy red hair.

“I’m...yours.”

/////////////////////////////////////

The feeling of someone shifting in the bed next to him is what rouses Hux from his sleep. As his consciousness properly returns to him, Hux notes a dull ache in the back of his head. He opens his eyes slowly and blinks, trying to remember where he is. He doesn't remember ending his shift on the bridge, he deosn't remember getting into his own bed after finishing paperwork at his desk like he normally does. These sheets beneath his naked body don't feel familiar; they aren't his. He looks across the bed to find Ren facing him, still sleeping.

 _Ah, yes,_ Hux thinks in a sarcastic tone, _Ren is an omega._

The events of the previous night come flooding back to him as he stares at Ren’s peaceful face, his gaze tracing the scar that travels from his forehead to his cheek. He doesn’t recall ever seeing the Knight sleeping before. Ren looks so _young,_ so unlike a reckless, unmated omega.

 _No,_ Hux corrects himself, _he **is** mated now. To me._

Hux recalls the intense feelings that he’d felt as he’d knotted Ren and realising that, in that moment, Hux had bonded himself to Ren. Alpha and Omega, mated.

“Are you watching me sleep?”

Hux comes out of his mind and back into the present, seeing that Ren has woken up and he's staring at him, his deep, brown irises back to their original size and colour.

“No,” Hux lies and sees a small smile form in the corner of Ren’s mouth. He closes his eyes again, looking like he’s fallen back asleep.

“Ren,” Hux says and Ren immediately opens his eyes again. “Did you….did you know you were an omega?”

Ren shifts in the bed and looks away from Hux's gaze. “Yes. I’ve always known. But...I take specially-formulated suppressant medication. But they were destroyed on Starkiller.” He rubs his eyes and moves stray pieces of dark hair from his face. “The heat is what woke me up in medbay, I was burning, Hux. I couldn’t control myself. I ran, I just needed to get away from all those betas, they were staring at me, I coudldn't--“

“It’s alright, Ren,” Hux sooths, seeing that Ren is becoming distressed by talking about the minutes which led up to him losing himself to his heat.

Ren exhales through his nose, shutting his eyes for a couple of seconds before opening them again to stare at Hux.

“I should probably…thank you for, you know. Doing what you did,” Ren stutters. “I thought I was going to die.”

 _I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen,_ Hux thinks, too afraid to say it out loud. He suddenly wonders whether Ren is even aware that they’re mated. He doesn't suppose that the Supreme Leader would have been generous with Ren's education about alphas and omegas.

“Ren,” Hux begins, “do you know what happens when an alpha knots an omega?”

Ren is silent for a few seconds and Hux seriously begins to question Ren's knowledge of basic biology.

“They become bonded. _Mated._ I know, Hux.” Ren shifts forward slightly, moving closer to him, their noses practically touching. “ _And I’m not afraid_. Since I sensed you were an alpha the day I met you, I….knew it'd be you who'd claim me.”

Their lips press together gently, Hux feeling relieved that Ren feels this way. He casts his mind back to the thoughts he had of Ren yesterday before the incident in medbay, the disappointment that Hux had felt when he believed they were both alphas and thus being unable to mate. As their kiss deepenes, Hux’s mind reels.

Hux realises that there’s one thing that he _knows_ he's feeling that Ren definitely isn’t.

Hux is afraid. Hux is _terrified._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

Seven days after Ren’s initial heat, the medics deem him healthy enough for training and Hux contacts Snoke via direct comlink channel, informing the Supreme Leader that Lord Ren is ready to travel to him. To Hux’s dismay, Snoke orders the  _Finalizer_ to travel to his location to drop off Lord Ren before returning to its duties as the First Order’s flagship. Hux had presumed that he and Ren would take a shuttle from the hangar and fly to Snoke on their own but clearly Snoke already has his plans in place. Hux doesn’t question him; he’s learned not to. The  _Finalizer_ travels at a steady speed through the vastness of space towards Snoke’s citadel. The coordinates that Hux has received from the Supreme Leader are to a small planet he’s never heard but he doesn’t think twice about it. It’s not as though the Supreme Leader of the First Order would be hiding his base on a familiar planet where the Resistance could find him. By the navicomputer’s calculations, it’ll take the  _Finalizer_ a total of 72 hours at a _regular_ pace to reach Snoke. Hux supposes he could make the order to make the ship travel faster but that would mean less time with Ren. 

As Hux walks back to his quarters, he ponders over the thought of leaving Ren on Snoke’s planet to complete his training. They're mated now; surely Snoke will understand that, and allow either Hux to stay with Ren or for Ren to continue his training without his Master’s supervision aboard the  _Finalizer._ Hux knows it's an extremely long shot but Snoke is an alpha himself and Hux supposes that this may mean he understands the need an alpha has to be with his mate. 

When he reaches his quarters, he picks up Ren's scent. Hux wonders whether he’s even left the room since sleeping there the night before. Over the past week, Ren has taken to living in Hux’s quarters whilst the General was on shift on the bridge. Hux would come back from his shift, he and Ren would share a meal and they’d engage in some sort of indecent activity. Hux is surprised at how much he enjoys having Ren as his mate. Of course, they still clashs at times but Hux doesn’t mind so much. Ren’s hot-headed personality is one of Hux’s favourite things about his omega; it makes him different from everyone else Hux has ever met. He presses the four digit code needed to unlock the door and the door swishes open. Whilst in the middle of shrugging off his greatcoat, Hux’s eyes are drawn to the naked figure on his bed. Ren lies flat on his stomach, one of his arms resting underneath the pillow and his head turned to face the opposite wall. As he steps closer, Hux can hear Ren’s heavy breathing. 

 _Still sleeping at this hour,_ Hux thinks and finds his gaze lingering too long on Ren’s bare ass. 

Hux puts his coat away in his wardrobe, picking Ren’s black trousers up from the floor as he walks back to the bed. He folds them neatly and places them on the table, reminding himself to chastise his omega for leaving his clothes on the floor. He sits down on the edge of the bed, hearing Ren rouse from his sleep as the mattress dips. Ren turns his head to Hux’s direction, his eyes still closed. 

“That was a long shift,” Ren says, his voice husky from his long sleep. 

“You’re just an impatient omega,” Hux replies, “some of us  _alphas_ actually have work to do."

He hears Ren exhale sharply through his nose as though he wants to laugh at Hux. He runs his fingers down Ren’s back, tracing the shape of his toned muscles, being careful of the bandaging around Ren’s body that still protects his healing bowcaster wound. Hux notes the fresh scar on Ren’s right shoulder. He touches it gently.

"Did the scavenger do this?” Hux asks.

Ren makes a soft grunting sound that Hux presumes means ‘yes’. “There’s one on my leg too. And this one,” he lifts his hand slowly, pointing to the scar that bisects his face, “obviously.”

Hux reaches across the small space between them and touches the scar on Ren’s face. “I shall have her head for this,” he says angrily, his nose scrunching.

Ren scoffs, shifting over to lie on his side, facing Hux. “If I couldn’t beat her, what makes you think you could?”

Hux’s hand leaves the scar and tangles itself in Ren’s dark hair. “I think you underestimate me.”

Ren relaxes into Hux’s touch, finally opening his eyes. “ _Never.”_

Hux leans down and takes Ren’s lips against his own. The kiss isn't as hungry as it was during Ren's heat and Hux supposes it's the result of Ren actually _belonging_ to him now. 

Or it's because Ren is still half asleep. 

Ren moans lazily into Hux's mouth, managing to sit up properly without breaking the kiss. Hux's other hand snakes up Ren's thigh slowly, his fingernails gliding across his naked skin. As his fingers get closer to Ren's cock, Ren bucks his hips forward slightly, wanting to be touched.

"See?" Hux says, pulling away from Ren's lips. "Impatient omega." 

Ren doesn't reply, instead he reaches to grasp Hux's cock through his trousers but Hux swats his hand away.

"You'll have to wait," Hux says and stands up abruptly, towering over Ren.

"I need your knot, Hux. _Now._ " Ren is already begging and Hux loves it, more than he cares to admit. 

Ren is breathing hard, his need for his alpha to claim him is overwhelming him. He scoots forward to sit on the edge of his bed, his long legs dangling over the side. His hands move up Hux’s jacket, in an attempt to undo the buttons that Hux always has fastened. Hux grabs his wrists and Ren makes a small, whining sound, obviously getting more annoyed by Hux’s denial.

“On your knees,” Hux says and the speed at which Ren obeys startles him.

Ren climbs back onto the bed and gets onto his hands and knees, cheek pressed against the bed and his ass in the air. Hux rubs a finger across Ren’s wet passage, wanting to be as teasing as possible. He admits to himself that he wants to see how close he can push Ren to the edge before he actually takes him. Hux is sure Ren will give in before Hux finds himself in a rut. Ren’s entrance is hot and wet as Hux slides two of his fingers in, feeling Ren’s body tense as he slowly glides his fingers inside. With his other hand, Hux reaches around Ren’s hips and fondles his hard cock with gentle touches.

“Nngh,” Ren moans as Hux’s hand strokes his shaft. “Hux, _please._ ”

Hux can feel his own cock hardening in his trousers but he does well in resisting the urge to fuck Ren hard _now._ He wants to see his omega come completely undone by his hands first. Hux rotates his fingers inside Ren, hearing the Knight’s breath hitch in his throat.

“Such a good boy,” Hux coos as Ren's chest heaves for breath. Hux removes his fingers, hearing Ren gasp at the loss of pressure inside him. Hux lets go of his cock too and, with both hands, Hux parts Ren’s cheeks and runs his tongue along his wet entrance. Ren cries out loudly, his hands grasping at the messy sheets. Hux notes that one of Ren’s hands hesitantly moves up to his cock, desperate to stroke himself, and Hux had thought it would’ve taken a powerful Knight like Ren much longer to get to this stage, though he absently supposes that he hasn't been touched much like this in his life.

“H-Hux,” Ren breathlessly says, “I’m going to-“

“Allow me,” Hux says, and reaches for Ren’s cock, taking it in his palm and stroking him rigorously. “But I’m not finished with you yet.”

Ren obviously hadn’t expected Hux to stroke him so forcefully and he comes almost immediately, his thighs shaking as Hux continues to touch him, his hand rubbing his cock with enough pressure to make the muscles in Ren’s stomach clench. Ren collapses forward onto his stomach once Hux releases his cock, panting heavily, feeling as though he’s completely spent for the night. Before he can gather himself, Ren feels Hux’s hands on his hips, pulling him back up to his kneeling position. Hux slides his hands from Ren's hip to his ass cheeks, gripping the skin between his fingers.

"On your back,” Hux orders and Ren shuffles further onto the bed, making enough room so Hux can settle between his knees.

Hux begins to undress himself quickly and, once he’s completely naked too, he climbs onto the bed with Ren. He gives his cock a quick stroke, which is aching more than he’d care to admit. His alpha biology wants to succumb to the rut; to mark Ren until the entire galaxy knows that he belongs to Hux. Lining himself up to Ren’s entrance, Hux pushes himself in, hearing Ren let out a shuddering breath.

“What do you want, Ren? Tell me,” Hux says in a soft tone as he begins his thrusting.

“Your knot, Hux. I want my alpha to breed me, I need-- _ah!”_

Hux’s pace increases suddenly, his hips slamming forward and obviously taking his omega by surprise. Ren is moaning loudly with each thrust and Hux can barely believe his ears. The sounds that are being seemingly ripped from Ren’s throat only spurs the alpha on further, his thrusts wild. He stares at Ren, and Ren stares back, Hux noting the glazed look in his omega’s eyes, his pupils blown wide in pleasure. Hux leans forward to take Ren’s lips against his own and Ren wraps his legs around Hux’s hips. His heels dig into the small of Hux’s back, wanting his cock to be driven further into him, deeper. They kiss hungrily now, as though their biologies are determining their actions, freeing them of their usual inhibitions. Hux feels his knot beginning to swell and Ren obviously feels it too as, when Hux breaks their kiss, he sees Ren’s eyes become half-lidded, his mouth open as he continues to moan. Hux moves his lips to Ren’s neck, the exact spot where he’d marked him during the first night of Ren’s heat. He presses his teeth against the faint red mark that is still on Ren’s skin, biting down gently. Ren moves his hand up to entwine his fingers in Hux’s red hair, pulling on it gently.

"You’re mine, Ren,” Hux whispers, moving his lips from Ren’s neck to his jaw, nipping and sucking across the bone.

Ren gasps and fidgets beneath Hux, his pelvis twisting under Hux’s hard thrusts.

“H-Hux, I can’t…I can’t hold on,” he gasps, throwing his hands around Hux’s back, clawing at his skin, digging his nails into Hux's shoulder blades. The friction of Hux’s stomach rubbing against his cock is too much for him to handle and his cock twitches in attempt to come again but Ren is exhausted. He scrunches his eyes closed and cries out as very little come squirts onto his stomach. The sound of Ren being driven past his orgasm is enough for Hux to come too, his knot to completely swelled inside Ren. He kisses the omega, being a little worried that Ren has actually passed out.

“Are you alright?” Hux asks, staring at Ren’s sweating face.

Ren nods, his eyes still closed. “I’m not going to be able to walk for a week.”

 _Good,_ Hux thinks, pressing his lips against Ren’s. _Then you won’t be able to walk away from me and into Snoke’s waiting palm._

 

////////////////////////////////////////////

 

The days pass quickly aboard the _Finalizer_ and soon, much sooner than Hux would have liked, they arrive at the location of Snoke’s citadel. It’s located on a small, backwater planet that Hux has never previously heard of, so he presumes the Resistance hasn’t either. The _Finalizer_ halts in the vicinity of the planet, awaiting Snoke’s orders on how to proceed. When Snoke does contact them, he informs Hux that he will be sending his own shuttle to the _Finalizer_ for him and Ren to travel on and they shall have an immediate audience with the Supreme Leader. Of course, Hux doesn’t question the orders…not out loud, anyway.

He walks down to the hangar from the bridge, finding Snoke’s shuttle has already docked and Ren is already waiting for him. Hux has decided to forego his greatcoat; hiding underneath it would serve no purpose when he was in the direct presence of Snoke.

“Don’t you need to take any of your belongings with you?” Hux asks, noting that Ren is boarding the shuttle emptyhanded.

“I’ve got my lightsaber." Ren gives a slight twitch of his hips, indicated the saber's location on his belt. "That’s all I need,” Ren answers without looking at Hux, his tone sounding a little different, more reserved than normal.

Hux frowns, feeling slightly offended at the coldness of Ren’s behaviour. He supposes Ren may feel a little uncomfortable without the mask to hide his face, but that doesn't explain why he's acting so particularly _off_ with Hux. They’re mated now, surely Ren is able to act a little more civilised towards him in the presence of others, Hux thinks. He knows the Knight has a reputation to keep up but Hux _is_ his alpha, there is no need to address him in such a detached manner.

Hux follows Ren into the shuttle and they sit next to each other in the passenger area, Hux seeing that Snoke’s personal pilot is already settled in the cockpit, waiting to take off. Once the pilot has acknowleged them, the shuttle sets off, flying moderately quickly towards the little blue planet. Hux doesn’t take his eyes of Ren, who doesn’t look up at Hux once. As they begin their decent onto the planet, Hux can no longer keep quiet.

“Would you care to tell me what’s the matter, Ren? I’m not a mind-reader, like you.”

Absently, Hux supposes that there's a possibility that he _could_ call himself a mind-reader now that they are bonded. He can feel that something is different in his mind. It feels warmer, somehow, as though there's another presence alongside his own consciousness, flickering away like a real flame. He supposes that it's their bond, somehow manifested into a fire in his head. It gets stronger when they're closer, though now, Hux feels the little flame is seemingly growing colder. He can _feel_ Ren's distress at something, though he hasn't had enough practice at _reading his_ _thoughts_ yet. Hux knows that only the strongest of bonds allow for two-way communication, something he knows they would have to work on...if Snoke allows them to stay together.

Ren finally turns his head to Hux, looking up into the General’s green eyes. Ren looks incredibly sad, Hux notes, his eyes looking worn and tired already, before his rigorous Force-training has even begun.

“He’s going to know we’re mated. He’ll sense it as soon as we’re in his presence. And he’s going to separate us anyway.”

Hux feels the worry spread through him like a wildfire. “He must understand. He's an alpha himself, he'll know that separating a bonded alpha and omega is suicide. You’re his apprentice, surely he’ll want to protect you from unnecessary harm?”

And by ‘protect’, Hux realises that he simply means ‘keep alive’. Deep down, he knows there’s no way Snoke would approve of their bonding but what’s done is done; Hux doesn’t regret his actions and, from the look on Ren’s face, neither does he. As the shuttle prepares to land, Hux finds himself holding his breath. He sits back in his chair, watching Ren out of the corner of his eye. Without the protection of his mask, Ren’s expression betrays him; he looks afraid, to say the least. His long, dark hair hides a section of his face from Hux’s view but Hux can feel Ren’s  anxiety about facing his master with his new mate.

The pilot is suddenly standing in front of them, opening the ramp for them to disembark from the shuttle. Hux stands first, pulling his jacket down. He looks down at Ren, who doesn’t look in the slightest bit ready to leave. He sits rather limply in his seat, as though he's trying to fold in on himself, his arms folded across his stomach.

“Come on, Ren,” Hux says, his voice seemingly snapping Ren out of his deep thoughts.

The Knight stands up slowly, staring at the floor. They leave the shuttle, the wind hitting them as soon as they step off, Hux immediately regretting not bringing his greatcoat with him. He looks around, seeing that they’ve landed on a small island in the middle of a raging ocean. The fortress in front of them is large and Hux notes is looks similar to a castle with its many towers and spires. The largest tower stands in the centre of the structure with a domed glass roof and Hux presumes this is where the Supreme Leader resides. He swallows hard, his red hair blowing his eyes. As he and Ren begin to walk forward, Hux finds himself already planning their escape. He considers himself to be a master strategist so he's confident he can come up with something that would get Ren away from Snoke without the Supreme Leader finding them. They could run now, take the shuttle and hide in some remote corner of the galaxy, away from the First Order and away from Snoke where he and Ren can protect each other.

“He’d find us, Hux,” Ren says.

Startled, Hux looks over at him. “Did you just read my mind?”

“You were projecting, I couldn’t help it. I suggest you refrain from doing that whilst we’re on this planet,” Ren replies, sounding slightly concerned at Hux’s loud thoughts and the potential trouble that they might get them into. But after quiet contemplation, Hux realises that Ren had heard him through their bond, not through the Force, though the latter may have amplified his thoughts slighty for Ren to hear. Maybe their bond is stronger than Hux had originally thought. 

They stand in front a large set of blast doors, waiting for them to open. The doors open slowly and close again before Hux and Ren are barely inside. A wide, long corridor lies ahead of them and they walk down it, their footfalls the only sound that they can hear. Hux feels oddly uncomfortable as he walks through the corridors of Snoke’s hideout, as the décor is almost identical to that of the _Finalizer;_ grey floors and grey walls and keypads next to every door. Hux shivers. Despite Ren being next to him, this isn’t the _Finalizer,_ this isn’t home.

They near the end of the long corridor where a large, grand staircase is built. In a stark contrast to the floor, the steps themselves are white and look as though they’re made from some kind of marble. The bannisters are black and Hux can see the unnecessary detail on the spindles as he and Ren walk up them. The steps begin to wind around in big circles leading them up to the upper floors, to the room with the domed roof. As they near the top floor, Hux begins to feel colder and he realises that they’re getting closer to Snoke. He can almost _feel_ the way this place is shrouded by the Dark Side. With each floor they pass, Hux feels himself growing more afraid of what Snoke is going to do to them regarding the destruction of Starkiller…and their newly-formed bond. They reach the top floor and the stairs level out onto a flat landing in front of a large set of double, black doors: the only room on the top floor. Ren steps closer to the doors as if to push them open but Hux grabs his arm.

“Ren, wait,” Hux says, “what are we going to tell him?”

“About what?”

“About _us._ About us mating, about being bonded.” Hux is suppressing the panic in his voice, Ren can tell.

“He’s my Master, Hux. I’ll tell him the truth,” Ren says but then looks as though he's questioning his own answer. “Only if he asks.”

Hux isn’t reassured by Ren’s answer but he trusts him. As Ren pushes the black doors open wide, Hux quickly realises he has a major problem with Ren calling Snoke ‘master’. More specifically, the _alpha_ in Hux has a problem with it. Ren was _his,_ not Snoke’s but Hux has a feeling it's probably best not to argue with the Supreme Leader about it at this time, not when their lives were potentially on the line. _Ren's life,_ Hux thinks.

As expected, the throne room is large and mostly empty, except for dozens of giant pillars that stand ceiling-to-floor along the length of the room near the walls. Mounted on the walls themselves are small lanterns, their small flames flickering in the darkness. The domed roof made out of glass and Hux can see the clouds quite clearly when he looks up at it. He supposes seeing the night sky from here would be pleasant, if this weren’t Snoke’s planet. Snoke himself is draped over a large chair at the far end of the room, his elbow resting on one of the arms of the chair, his fingers idly rubbing themselves together in a menacing manner. In reality, Snoke is only a little bit taller than Ren but his ego and his presence still matched that of his giant hologram that Hux is used to seeing. Hux swallows hard; he knows Snoke is an alpha like him but he hadn’t expected such power to radiate from his being. They step up onto a large circular platform that is raised off the ground, a couple of meters away from Snoke’s throne.

“Supreme Leader,” Hux speaks first, “We are grateful that you have allowed us access to your citadel and that you are gracing us with your presence. And…I apologise _sincerly_ for the destruction of Starkiller Base. I take full responsibility for the attack.”

Snoke is looking directly at him but Hux can tell that he isn’t really listening.

“Is it true?” Snoke says and Hux’s stomach sinks. “That the two of you are _mated_?”

Before Hux can reply, Ren steps forward to the edge of the platform and drops to one knee, his head bowed. “It is true, my master. My suppressants were destroyed on Starkiller and I went into heat whilst on the _Finalizer.”_ Ren doesn’t dare look up at Snoke. “General Hux…saved my life. I have no doubt that I would have perished from the intensity of the heat if he hadn’t taken me. I…am his now.”

Hux looks from Ren to Snoke, whose expression is turning from curiosity to anger. The Supreme Leader stands up slowly and begins to walk towards them, his long dark robes dragging along the floor behind him. He moves slowly towards Ren, like a snake getting ready to coil its prey. Ren doesn’t move, he stays in his kneeling position, his gaze locked on the floor. Snoke stops right in front of Ren and bends down, placing one of his long fingers underneath Ren’s chin, tipping it up to force Ren to look at him. Hux feels sick.

“This…is unfortunate,” Snoke says, holding Ren’s chin in his cold fingers. “This was not my plan for you, my omega apprentice. It was to be that when the First Order had achieved dominance across the galaxy as a result of Starkiller’s power, _I_ would bond myself to you, Kylo Ren.”

Hux has to stop himself from staggering back. He can’t see Ren’s face but he can sense his discomfort.

“Our bonding would have completed your training, young Kylo, and would have made us both powerful enough to rule the galaxy together. Had you not guessed that this was the reason I had you put on heat suppressants from the age of 15 when you became my apprentice? We were to be mated when your first heat came around after the First Order’s mission was complete.”

 _That was Ren’s first heat?_ Hux thinks, feeling a little lightheaded at the rage growing inside him at the thought of Ren belonging to Snoke in the same way that Ren belonged to him. Snoke removes his hand from Ren’s chin and runs his thumb across Ren’s dry lips. Hux’s fists clench at his sides, the leather of his gloves squeaking in his angry grasp.

“But this can be rectified,” Snoke says in a dark tone as he turns his back on Ren and Hux, retreating back to his throne.

Before Ren can stand, he begins to heave for breath, breathing through gritted teeth. He stays kneeling on the floor, moaning in pain.

“Ren?” Hux asks, taking a step forward to comfort his omega.

“General Hux!” Snoke yells at the very top of his voice, turning back around to face them. Hux feels as though he’s frozen in his place, unable to move anything but his eyes and mouth, realising that Snoke has rooted him to the ground with the Force. Snoke’s voice echoes menacingly like thunder across the vast emptiness of the chamber. “You are forbidden to touch him.”

As Snoke sits back down on his throne, Hux notices that the Supreme Leader’s fingers begin to make clawing gestures in the air. Ren is screaming now, doubled-over on himself with his hands pressing on his stomach. Hux can feel Ren’s agony, the pain that threatens to render him unconscious. Hux wants to close his eyes, to not look at the way Ren’s body is contorting under Snoke’s torture but he can’t look away. Ren has completely folded in on himself, his forehead pressed against the cold floor. Hux's own body is screaming for him to get to Ren's side, to hold him and comfort him until the pain stops.

When Hux hears Ren sob rather than scream, Hux can no longer hold his tongue. “Supreme Leader, _please!”_

Snoke, to Hux’s dismay, lowers in hand and Ren’s sobs and screams turn into ragged breathing, echoing throughout the silence of the chamber. Hux manages to look at Snoke, who looks more than satisfied with his work.

“Any potential life that was growing inside you, Kylo, is no more. The poison that General Hux placed inside you is gone. Your mistakes have been forgiven, my young omega.”

 _Kylo was...pregnant? With my child. Our child._ Hux feels his restraints slip away and he finds that his greatest desire is to storm across the room and rip Snoke’s head clean from his body for torturing Ren like this.

“The only alpha in your life from this point onwards shall be me.” Snoke turns his attention to Hux. He stands up but he doesn’t approach them. “General Hux, please escort my omega down to his new quarters on the floor below. You have the remainder of the evening to bid your final farewells to him for this is the last time you will ever see him. Should I find you that you have disobeyed me, and that you are still here in the morning, I shall not hesitate to rip your heart from your chest and punish Kylo accordingly. Is that understood?”

Hux scowls, angering Snoke.

“Is that understood?!”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.”

Snoke strides away to a door in the corner of the room, leaving the throne room. Hux feels his body return to him quickly, his knees shake but he doesn’t fall. Within seconds, he’s on his knees next to Ren. He places his hand on Ren’s back and the other on his shaking arm in a vain attempt to let Ren know that he’s here, that he’s not alone.

“Are you alright?” Hux asks, seeing tears streaming down Ren’s cheeks. His eyes are scrunched closed and his teeth are still gritted and Hux wonders whether he’s still reeling from the pain Snoke has caused. “Ren, say something.”

Ren doesn’t, he only opens his eyes slowly, tearing dripping onto the floor. Hux pulls on his arm, helping the wounded omega stand up, his legs shaking. Ren coughs and Hux sees blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and down his chin.

“It’s alright. You’re alright,” Hux repeats to Ren as he half-carries him out of the throne room, Ren’s arm thrown limply over Hux’s shoulders. Ren tries to fold in on himself as they walk as though he’s trying to protect his stomach. By the time they get to the black doors, Hux is supporting almost all of Ren’s weight.

Getting Ren down the stairs in his weakened state proves to be more than difficult but Hux manages it. There’s only one door that’s unlocked on the corridor so Hux presumes this is Ren’s designated room. The door swishes open to reveal the barest room Hux has ever seen. Hux’s bathroom aboard the _Finalizer_ is bigger than this. There’s a small bed shoved into the corner of the room that looks frightfully uncomfortable. There’s a small dresser next to the bed and a small door on the left wall with Hux presumes to be a small bathroom. He struggles over to the bed as he feels Ren become heavier against him and Hux fears that Ren has passed out. He sits the omega down on the edge of the bed, seeing that Ren is still very much awake. Ren absently runs his sleeve over his mouth, wiping away any blood that he’s coughed up. His eyes are still open, his gaze locked on Hux as the alpha fusses around him, removing his robe and his boots, obviously trying to make him more comfortable. Hux pulls Ren's lightsaber from his belt too.

“Hux, I’m--”

“Lie down, Ren. You need to rest.” Hux presses his hand against Ren’s shoulder, pushing him back onto the bed. Ren does as he’s told and lies back onto the hard mattress whilst Hux folds his robe up and places it on top of the dresser, his boots arranged neatly on the floor underneath. He gently places Ren's lightsaber on top of his folded robes. 

“I’m sorry,” Ren says.

“Don’t," Hux replies, turning to look at Ren with a harsher stare than he intended. “You’ve nothing to apologise for.”

“I brought you into this. Me and my _stupid_ heat.” Ren rubs his sore, tired eyes with his fingers.

"You would’ve died if I hadn’t found you, Ren. I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”

“But…your rut, it wasn’t your choice--“

Hux doesn’t turn around when he speaks this time, doubting whether he can actually stand to look Ren in the eye. “I took an interest in you long before you went into heat, Ren. I just…thought you were an alpha, like me.”

Hux feels Ren reach over from the bed and grab his hand, pulling Hux to sit down onto the bed. Ren sits up with a groan, his hand absently touching his stomach. As Hux watches Ren’s hand, he tries not to think of the child that they could have had, before Snoke had destroyed any life that was growing inside Ren. Ren knits his fingers in Hux’s red hair, pushing Hux’s lips towards his. Hux welcomes the kiss but notes how slow and weak Ren’s movements are.

“I want you, Hux. I need…”

Ren’s hand moves down to the front of Hux’s trousers but Hux grabs his wrist, moving it away. “You’re too weak, Ren. You need to rest. Your body needs to heal.”

“I’m fine,” Ren says but leans too far forward and puts too much weight onto his tender abdomen. He cries out, Hux pushes him back down, smoothing hair out of his pale face. Their gazes lock and Hux notes that Ren looks on the verge of losing consciousness, his eyes become distant.

Ren sighs, his voice quiet. “Don’t leave me, Hux. I won’t survive--“

“Shh,” Hux soothes, not wanting Ren to become distressed. “Go to sleep, Ren. You’ll feel better.”

Ren obeys his alpha and his head falls to the side, his eyes closing slowly. Hux is sure that he’s passed out. He sits quietly on the edge of the bed, memorising Ren’s features; the shape of his cheekbones, the length of his eyelashes, the curve of his lips. Hux finds himself actually believing that this is the last time he’ll ever see Ren. He stays sat on the bed, watching over Ren until he’s sure that dawn is upon them. It isn’t his own life he would be concerned for if he stayed; it would be the punishment that Ren would have to endure by Snoke’s hand. Hux stands up slowly, not wanting to rouse Ren back into consciousness by a sudden movement. He looks down at his peaceful omega, knowing that Ren is going to have a fit when he wakes up and find that Hux isn’t here.  Hux just hopes that Ren won't think that he's abandonding him, he knows he's doing this for Ren's own safety. If they left this planet together, Snoke would find them and kill them. It's better this way, Hux knows it.

He leans over and gently presses his lips to Ren’s forehead. “Goodbye, Kylo,” he whispers and turns to leave, feeling every fibre of his being screaming at him to stay, or at least find a way to take Ren with him. But for the first time in his life, he ignores his instincts and walks away from the only person who's ever looked at Hux as though he isn't as cold and heartless as his reputation suggests. 

Hux walks down the stairs until he reaches the bottom floor, his footfalls echoing across the empty citadel. He feels sick, his knees are shaking but his expression is calm. He’s always been good at hiding his emotion, and the emotion he was feeling now was stronger than anything he’d ever felt before.

Anger. Fear. Loss. Guilt. 

He steps outside into the cold wind, seeing the pilot standing outside the shuttle waiting for him. He boards quickly, wanting to get off this dreaded planet. He sits in the passenger area and has an inclination that Ren is waking up.

As the shuttle leaves the planet, a single tear drops down Hux’s face. He can feel the flame in his mind beginning to dim, his mind becoming colder like it had been before he and Ren had mated.

_I’m sorry, Kylo. I’m so sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

Kylo’s consciousness returns to him slowly. As soon as he becomes are of the fact that he’s awake, he feels a dull pain radiating across his abdomen but he brushes it off rather quickly, putting it down to having slept in an awkward position. He has recently learned from Hux that he has a tendency to sleep in incredibly unusual positions, usually involving his long limbs sprawled over the bed whilst Hux takes to sleeping neatly on the edge, trying to hold onto the covers that Kylo likes to wrap himself up in. Hux is a light sleeper too, and had already complained on multiple occassions that Kylo's heavy breathing wakes him up. But Kylo enjoys sleeping next to his alpha, it makes his sleep peaceful. Kylo has never shared a bed with someone for this long before but sleeping next to his mate brings him a serenity he hasn’t felt in years. Filtering out the pain, he reaches out across the bed like he has done the previous mornings, expecting to find Hux sleeping next to him. But to his dismay, his hand finds nothing but cold, unfamiliar sheets. His calmness soon disappears.  

_Hux?_

He’s sure Hux isn’t down for the early shift this morning, Hux would have told him so. Kylo opens his eyes slowly, finding himself staring at an unfamiliar wall. He turns over onto his back and pushes himself up onto his elbows as the pain in his stomach worsens. 

All of a sudden, he remembers that he's not in Hux's bed on board the _Finalizer._ He's on Snoke's planet awaiting the completion of his training. 

And Hux isn't here anymore.

The events of the past day are suddenly at the forefront of his mind and he grabs his head in a vain attempt to stop himself being overwhelmed by emotion. Concentrating, he reaches out with the Force to their bond in a hopeful attempt to locate Hux, hoping that Snoke hasn’t dragged his alpha away to his death whilst Kylo has been unconscious. He sighs in relief as he senses that Hux is alive but he’s not on the planet, he’s on the shuttle that’s docking in the hangar of the _Finalizer,_ which will soon be speeding off to somewhere far from here, taking Hux with it. Kylo sits up properly, folding his long legs underneath him. He places a hand over his abdomen and pushes away any thoughts of the foetus that he and Hux had lost yesterday. Though there’s no physical signs of the attack, Kylo can feel twinges of pain every time he moves, knowing that the attack on his body was purely a result of Snoke’s malice.

Snoke’s _jealousy_ of Hux _._

Kylo feels as though he should have known that Snoke’s intent all along was to mate with him, to create a bond between them that would make them both even more powerful with the Dark Side, but Kylo has learned the hard way not to question his master’s wishes so being put on heat suppressants isn’t something Kylo had ever wanted to question. Besides, he was only a boy at the time, a time when Ben Solo felt so alone that he would have believed anything that anyone told him. Kylo shakes his head; he doesn’t allow himself to think of Ben. Ben Solo was weak, just like his father. Kylo is nothing like Han; Han Solo had allowed his attachments to dictate his actions, leading him to be murdered by Kylo’s hand. Attachments are weaknesses, Snoke had told him, and Kylo had managed to keep himself detached from all others for the majority of his life, making him one of the most feared beings across the galaxy and earned him the title of Master of the Knights of Ren. That was, until he’d met Hux. Kylo had known from the second he was in Hux’s presence that he was an alpha; one didn’t get to be General of the First Order without being a _ruthless_ alpha. Hux had told him yesterday that had had previously believed Kylo to be an alpha as well and that that was what had stopped him from perusing Kylo as his mate. _Funny,_ Kylo thinks, _that the man who craves order should desire someone as chaotic as me._

Kylo knows they’re an odd match but it somehow makes sense to him, that Hux’s love of order is what calms him, it always has. When Snoke had ordered him to stay on his heat suppressants to mask his true identity as an omega, Kylo had felt a little frustrated that Hux couldn’t be his, or rather, that he couldn’t belong to Hux. But seeing Hux standing over him when his first heat had overtaken him was a feeling Kylo won’t ever forget. He regrets not running away with Hux that night, away from the First Order and away from Snoke’s manipulative games.

He hears Hux’s voice in his mind but Kylo is sure it’s nothing, he’s sure he’s imagining it.

_I left to protect you, Ren. You must understand._

With his hand back on his stomach, Kylo finds it difficult not to think of the life that he, Hux and their child could have had, whether that be ruling the galaxy together or hiding on a backwater moon, Kylo wouldn't have cared. Kylo puts his head in his hands but no tears come. Instead, he feels his rage bubbling to the surface, taking over his senses and clouding his mind. His hands shake, wishing that Hux was next to him to calm him. But Kylo knows why Hux has left. He’d heard Snoke’s threats yesterday in the throne room, of what Snoke would do to Hux _and_ Kylo if he stayed. Hux is suffering too, Kylo can feel it. But he can also feel a dark voice in the back of his mind, taunting him.

_Hux has abandoned you. He doesn’t care. You were a quick fix for his sexual desires. You know this is true. Hux is ruthless, he has no time for weak omegas like you._

Kylo calls his lightsaber to his hand with the Force, igniting it as soon as it’s in his palm. He stands abruptly, finding that his legs are weaker than he anticipated. Still, he doesn’t fall as he begins slashing at the walls like he has done numerous times on the _Finalizer_ and on Starkiller. The blade crackles as it rips through the air, being brought forcefully down onto the wall, striking it over and over again until his arm began to ache. He turns on his heel, slashing the bedside dresser in half with a loud, frustrated yell. He stands still in the middle of his ruined room, breathing heavily and feeling the rage subside as images of lying in bed with Hux paint themselves across his mind. He pictures the vibrant red of Hux's hair, the curve of Hux's slim hips, the way his lips felt against his own. Tossing his lightsaber out of his hand and hearing it clang as it lands over the other side of the room, Kylo finally allows his tired body to fall to his knees. He punches his fists against the ground as the tears finally begin to fall, Hux’s name as a whisper on his lips.

//////////////////////////////////

Kylo doesn’t move from his quarters for three days. Every so often, he’ll try and reach Hux with the help of the Force through their bond but he pulls back before Hux realises that Kylo is in his mind, as Kylo is deeply afraid of finding an _alternative_ reason as to Hux's departure, as though there may be some truth to what the dark voice had told him about Kylo being a 'quick fix' for Hux's sexual needs. He lies on his back in the middle of his bed, his eyes closed. As his thoughts linger on the General, he feels Snoke summoning him in the throne room and for the first time in his life, Kylo is afraid to go. He opens his eyes slowly, feeling his master sensing his doubt and his growing impatience. He sits up, wincing at the slight tenderness still in his abdomen. He picks up his robe off the floor and pulls it around his body, hoping that the feel of the familiar material will get him through whatever Snoke is about to do to him. He knows it’s futile, what he really needs is Hux next to him, to draw on Hux’s incredible strength to face hopeless situations with a stiff upper-lip. His boots are still where Hux had neatly placed them, under the now-ruined bedside dresser. He pulls them on and stands up, feeling incredibly apprehensive to face Snoke in the flesh on his own.

Still, he walks with arrogance in every step like he had done everyday on the _Finalizer_ and through the halls of Starkiller as though he’d cut down anyone who dared question his authority. Absently, he wishes he had his mask to at least hide the fear that he knows is so evident in his eyes. People had always said that about Ben Solo; that his emotions were shown so clearly in his dark eyes. Kylo doesn't suppose anyone has ever really had the chance to look properly into his eyes, not that they are the same as Ben's eyes. He hopes not, anyway.

The stairs up to the throne room are long, much longer than Kylo remembers. He stands in front of the black doors, his hands shaking at he pushes them open with the Force. He sees Snoke sitting on his throne at the other end of the room and Kylo can feel Snoke’s eyes all over him as he gets closer to his master. Like he had done with Hux three days ago, Kylo steps up onto the raised platform and bows before Snoke.

“You summoned me, Supreme Leader?” Kylo says, hoping his fear isn’t conveyed in his tone.

“Come closer, boy.”

Kylo hesitates for a second before he begins to walk towards him, feeling as though he’s walking to his execution. He’d rather he was.

“General Hux has left you,” Snoke says as though Kylo isn’t already aware of this fact. “He does not want you. He has abandoned you, my dear boy.” Snoke stands from his throne. “But I will care for you now. Today, I will complete your training.”

Kylo stops in front of his master but he doesn’t dare look into his cold eyes. Snoke’s long fingers reach up and move a stray piece of dark hair from Kylo’s pale face. Kylo restrains himself from shivering.

“I am going to bond myself to you, Kylo. I will be your alpha now.”

Kylo’s stomach ties itself in knots. His mind is screaming at him to run, to overpower Snoke and get off this damn planet. But he knows the shuttle that took Hux away hasn’t returned so he knows he has no way of escaping. This is inevitable. He closes his eyes for a long second before opening them again, tears brimming.

“Yes, Supreme Leader.”

Kylo doesn’t recognise his own voice as he gives his master permission to take him. He doesn’t want this, he wants Hux. He permits himself to look Snoke in the eye, seeing his mutilated face contort into an evil smile. Snoke says nothing as he steps back from Kylo, moving back towards his throne.

“Undress quickly,” Snoke says and Kylo finds himself obeying. He drops all his clothes to the floor and stands in front of his master, completely vulnerable. “On your knees, omega.”

Snoke gestures to his throne and Kylo wants to scream, run far away, to do anything but submit to Snoke like this. Snoke’s throne is the same as the one that Kylo has seen dozens and dozens of times in the holochamber on the _Finalizer_ and on Starkiller _;_ it’s large and black and as he climbs onto it, he’s thankful for the low back of the chair. He grips hold of the back in preparation of the pain that he knows it about to swallow his entire being. He feels Snoke’s finger being to touch his entrance but Kylo doesn’t moan. He knows his body will never be ready for this. Despite Hux’s preferred roughness during sex, he always made sure Kylo was alright, that he wasn’t in any real pain. He misses the feel of Hux’s soft lips against his skin and he finds himself closing his eyes and thinking of kissing Hux, running his hand through his red hair--

Snoke’s cold hand is suddenly around his neck, pulling him back, nails digging into Kylo’s skin. “You will not permit yourself to think of him. You are forbidden.” He shoves Kylo back into position and, before Kylo can apologise, Snoke thrusts inside him. Kylo bites his lip hard as his knuckles turn white on the back of the throne as Snoke increases his pace, obviously just wanting to get this over and done with, to break Kylo’s and Hux’s bond as quickly as possible. Snoke’s fingers are so cold on his hips and Kylo is sure his master is pressing his nails deep enough into his skin that he’ll draw blood. Kylo feels his own body betray him as his own cock becomes harder but he won’t come, he won’t allow himself to. As Snoke pushes himself up to the hilt inside him, Kylo can no longer hold back his cries. He breathes through gritted teeth as the violation continues, the pain unlike anything he’s ever felt before. It’s not even a pain he can draw strength from, the Dark Side would usually aid him in turning such immense pain into power but not this time.

Kylo can't help but mentally cry out for Hux, for his _true_ alpha to come back and save him from this horrendous fate. But he knows Hux won’t come. He cries out anyway and it takes most of his mental energy to not shout Hux’s name. He suddenly feels an alien presence inside his own mind as he realises that Snoke is invading his mind, an attempt to make them bond quicker. Kylo cries out as his most personal memories of Hux are violated as though Snoke is trying to alter them or erase them from his mind.

But Kylo knows nothing will break his bond to Hux. Snoke would never be his mate.

He hears Snoke grunt and groan as his knot begins to swell inside him. Kylo panics, not wanting to be bred by this monster. But he has nothing left to lose. Hux is gone, safe aboard the _Finalizer_ and far away from Snoke, so Kylo submits, relaxing his body into Snoke's knot. The alpha knots him harshly, filling Kylo up to the brim with his seed. Snoke releases his grip on his hips and runs his long nails down Kylo’s back, leaving bright red marks across his pale skin. Kylo tenses as tears flow down his cheeks, feeling as though he’s somehow betrayed Hux.

_I didn’t want this, Hux. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. I’m sorry._

Snoke pulls out of him aggressively, not caring about how rough he’s being and how he may hurt the omega. Kylo gasps as Snoke’s knot is ripped from him. He relaxes his grip on the back of the chair, feeling weaker than he ever has before, weaker than when he’d killed Han Solo. Snoke’s hand is suddenly on his shoulder, pulling him off the throne and casting him onto the floor. Kylo lands with a yell, pain radiating through his hip. Snoke throws Kylo’s robe at him and Kylo quickly pulls it around himself, though he feels that any dignity he had left has been stolen away from him too.

Snoke stares down at him with hungry eyes. “Do you feel stronger, my omega? We are mated, you carry my child. Your training is complete.”

“Yes, my master.”

“Good. Good,” Snoke says, adjusting his robes to cover himself, and he begins to walk towards the door at the back of the room. Before he leaves, he turns back to look at Kylo, still huddled on the floor. “Get up, boy. You will do well to not show such weakness in front of your alpha.”

The door slams shut, leaving Kylo alone in the throne room. He’s never been so cold in all his life; even his mind feels strangely cold. He pulls his robe tightly around himself, knowing that he won’t be able to stand yet. He reaches out using the Force and is relieved to find himself still bonded to Hux. But something is wrong; Hux is in great distress. The General is safely aboard the _Finalizer_ but Kylo can sense his alpha’s pain. Kylo probes further into their bond, finding that Hux is having a nightmare about Snoke bonding with him.

Kylo knows what he has to do.

He recalls what he remembers from Ben’s training with Luke Skywalker when he was his master at the new Jedi Academy. Concentrating as hard as his weak mind can manage, Kylo erects mental shields across his mind, hoping that they’ll be strong enough to keep any of his own pain from reaching Hux. Should Snoke decide to hurt him again, Hux won’t be able to feel it. Hux will be protected. Kylo sighs. At least Hux is safe from Snoke. Kylo would sacrifice himself a thousand times if it meant that Snoke couldn’t harm Hux. As he feels his mind become completely shielded from Hux’s, Kylo feels the darkness close in on him and black overtakes his mind.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

As General Hux stands silently on the bridge of the _Finalizer,_ he watches as Snoke’s planet disappears from their scopes as his ship cruises towards its new destination on the other side of the galaxy. He walks away from the console and to the main viewport on the bridge, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. Though his expression is calm, inside, he's a supernova. Hux feels as though he’s going to explode any second, the guilt of leaving his mate on a planet with a sadistic madman almost being too heavy for him to handle. Ren is unbelievably strong, there is no doubt in Hux's mind about that, and harnesses a power that Hux knows he can never fully understand…but Snoke has a control over Ren that unnerves Hux, like Snoke has the omega on a length of rope that he’d pull when Ren became too free-willed. He’s seen the way that Ren submits to Snoke, the way Ren obeys his master’s orders without question. Ren is more powerful than Snoke, of this Hux is sure. But as he stares at the passing stars, he knows none of this matters anymore. Ren is gone and Hux will never see him again.

His leather gloves begin to squeak as he clenches his hands, beginning to fidget, feeling an uncomfortable sensation in his mind. Back within the high walls of Snoke’s citadel, Ren is returning to consciousness, discovering that Hux has left him.

_I left to protect you, Ren. You must understand._

But Hux knows Ren is thinking that Hux has abandoned him, that he no longer wants him as a mate, he can feel Ren’s doubt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hears Snoke’s dark voice telling Ren that Hux thought of him as nothing more than a quick fix for his sexual desires.

_Don’t listen to him, Ren. I love…_

The words fall away in Hux’s mind as he feels Ren’s rage, his anger growing as he lashes out with his lightsaber. Hux scrunches his eyes closed, hearing Ren’s yells of rage as clear as day in his mind. Hux’s knees threaten to give out as he becomes overwhelmed with Ren’s emotion. He feels absolutely desperate to be with Ren; to comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be fine, despite Hux believing that nothing was ever going to be fine again.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

For the next three days, Hux’s mind is relatively quiet, except for the sound of his own guilt. Ren is still there, the tiny flame still burning in the back of Hux’s mind; small but present, which is what matters. Hux tries not to think too much of Ren and the life that they might have shared with the child that Snoke took from them, he fears that thinking too much about such traumatic topics will hurt Ren in some way and that’s the last thing Hux wants to do. He walks back to his quarters after his shift is done, desperate to try and get some sleep, which has eluded him for the past three nights. He’s sure he looks a disgrace; he tried his best to smooth down his hair to a presentable standard this morning but he found he was struggling even the most mundane tasks without Ren…without his mate. He’d heard horror stories when he was at the Academy of alphas who had been driven mad after being separated from their mates for too long and Hux is beginning to think that this is to be his fate.

When the door to his quarters swishes open, Ren’s scent immediately strikes him. He can still picture the way Ren looked sleeping in his bed, the peace that had overtaken Hux’s mind, knowing that Ren was safe and sleeping soundly next to him. Hux undresses himself, noting the fact that a pair of Ren’s trousers are still folded on his table where he'd left them. Despite him liking everything to be neatly put away into its proper place, he couldn’t bring himself to move them, as though he’d be trying to erase Ren from his life if he did. Once he’s down to his black boxers, he pulls a plain black t-shirt from his wardrobe and climbs into bed. Whilst he’d only slept in the same bed as Ren for little over a week, Hux had discovered that Ren slept in the oddest positions that he’s ever seen. Ren’s ridiculously gangly limbs would be spread across the width of the bed, leaving Hux to sleep on the edge of the bed and attempting to pull the duvet back from Ren, whose limbs seemed to get unnecessarily tangled in it. Hux supresses a yawn and shuffles over to the right-hand side of the bed, the side which Ren had taken falling asleep on when they’d been together. The black pillow still smells of Ren and Hux finds himself drifting off into a light sleep, just before his mind is overwhelmed with Ren’s pain.

_Hux finds himself standing in the middle of a large empty room with a high ceiling. He looks down at himself, seeing that he’s in his regulatory First Order uniform that he always wears. He looks around for any clues as to his whereabouts but his attention is grabbed by the tall figure standing with his back to him across the other side of the room._

_Ren._

_Hux is sure it’s his mate, even though he can’t see his face. Hux would recognise that long, dark hair anywhere. How he’s longed to run his fingers through Ren’s untamed mess of dark curls again. Hux runs towards him, reaching out to touch Ren as soon as he is within arms-length. Hux wraps his fingers tightly around Ren’s upper arms. When Ren’s face comes into Hux’s view, Hux has to stop himself from gasping. Ren looks completely exhausted, as though he’s been pushed to the brink of death, looking as though he could collapse at any moment. His dark eyes are distant and as he stares unblinking into the nothingness, Hux fears that he may have lost him for good. Something about Ren doesn’t feel right. Hux’s chest tightens._

_“Ren? It’s me, I’m here now. It’s alright. You’re safe.” Hux’s fingers squeeze Ren’s arms in a vain attempt to reassure him. Ren doesn’t look at him._

_“You left me here to die.” Ren’s tone was dark and Hux could almost feel the power of theDark Side radiating off his being._

_“No! Ren, Snoke would’ve harmed you if I hadn’t left. I left to protect you. Please, understand!”_

_Hux reaches up to touch Ren’s cheek but before he can touch Ren's skin, he’s startled by a dark voice echoing across the emptiness of the room._

_“He is no longer yours, General.” Snoke steps out from the shadows, standing a couple of feet in front of them. He stands tall, his back straight and his mutilated face contorted into a half-smile, as though he’s proud of whatever he’s done to break Ren._

_Hux turns to face the man he once called ‘Supreme Leader’. As he turns to face Snoke, he leaves one hand grasping Ren’s arm tightly as though Ren needs him as an anchor. Absently, Hux thinks that it’s probably the other way around._

_“What have you done to him?” Hux's tone is angered, desperate, as though he's wishing the daggers in his tone were enough to slaughter the creature where he stands.  
_

_Snoke’s voice is calm. “Your bond is severed. Can you not feel it? Kylo belongs to me now, he is my omega and I am his alpha.”_

_Snoke stretches his arm out in front of him, his long fingers uncoiling as he holds out his palm. Hux turns back to Ren, who shifts under the strong grip of Hux’s hand. Hux can tell he wants to go._

_“Ren? Ren, no. He’s lying to you!"_

_Ren pulls his arm out of Hux’s grasp and walks slowly and shakily towards Snoke. Despite this being a dream, Hux feels as though his chest is about to implode. Watching Ren walk away from him and towards Snoke is crushing his soul._

_“Ren!” Hux shouts and feels as though he’s rooted to the ground. “Kylo, don’t!”_

_But Ren ignores him and walks into Snoke’s waiting palm. Snoke’s cold fingers grasp Ren’s arms in the same place where Hux’s had just been in a cruel way of showing Hux how obsolete he’s become._

_“You have failed, General. An alpha’s job is to protect his mate and look what you have allowed to happen to Kylo.”_

_Hux wants to leap forward and tear Snoke apart for the way he’s touching Ren, his hand cupping Ren’s cheek, but Hux feels as though he’s too weak to move, like he’s got no strength left after watching Ren walk away from him._

_“You are foolish and weak,” Snoke’s harsh stare burrows into Hux’s skull but Hux stands his ground, determined not to crumble. Snoke strokes Ren’s cheek, gliding his nails across the pale skin. “Just like my young omega.”_

_Suddenly, Hux sees Snoke scratch Ren’s face with his long nails and Ren cries out, falling to his knees and grasping his bleeding cheek. Before Hux has even registered that he’s broken out into a run to get to Ren’s side, Snoke is contorting his fingers in clawing gestures and Ren completely collapses, groaning in agony._

_“Hux!” Ren shouts as he writhes under Snoke’s torture, a scene which Hux is already too familiar with._

_Snoke seemingly makes no attempt to cease Hux’s movements this time and Hux manages to drop to his knees beside Ren just as the omega falls quiet and limp. His eyes are closed, his cheek has three long, bleeding cuts running down it, the blood dripping onto his neck._

_“Kylo?” Hux grasps hold of his shoulders and shakes but Ren doesn’t open his eyes. Hux presses two of his fingers to the underside of Ren’s chin but feels nothing. With the panic and dread spreading through his body like wildfire, Hux lies his head on Ren’s unmoving chest, hearing nothing. “No, no, no,” Hux whispers to himself as he stares at the peaceful face of his former mate._

“Ren!”

Hux wakes up with a jerk, sitting up in his bed with the sheets tangled around himself. Eyes wide, he breathes heavily, chest heaving in an attempt to calm down after his nightmare. That can’t have been real, if Ren had been killed, he would’ve felt it. Hux closes his eyes and exhales through his nose, pressing his hands against his throbbing temples. He needs to see if he can still sense Ren, to see if they _are_ still bonded or that, whatever Snoke has done to Ren, has been successful in separating them. Hux struggles to think through the panic and guilt that have overtaken his mind but he manages to sense their bond, but it’s very weak. Ren’s presence in his mind has faded, as though only part of him has been cut off. Hux's mind is still warm but it's growing a little colder with each passing second. Hux knows it’s only a matter of time before Snoke is successful in breaking Ren and is able to bond with him.

Hux throws the covers off in a temper and walks into the bathroom, rubbing his tired eyes. He turns the taps on and allows the cold water to fill the sink before splashing some of it on his face. He’s lost Ren, he’s lost Ren to _Snoke._ Before he turns to walk back to bed, he catches his reflection in the mirror, his red hair dishevelled and messy.

_You are weak and foolish._

Snoke’s words echo across his mind as he feels his fist clenching by his side. Without thinking, he pulls his fist back and punches the glass, watching the mirror shatter underneath the force of his fist. Ignoring the pain that is spreading across his knuckles, Hux watches the blood trickle down the cracks in the glass, wishing it was Snoke’s that had been spilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel really bad for all this angst.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

For the next six months, Hux manages to keep himself sane by burying himself in his work. It’s an immense struggle but he copes, immersing himself in reports, statistical charts and performance reviews every night before bed to the point where he’s fighting to keep his eyes open. This way, he knows that sleep will find him first as, when he seeks it, it doesn’t come. At the start, when he’d first lost Ren, Hux would lie awake in bed at night, thinking of the horrors that Snoke must be putting Ren through and the guilt of leaving Ren on that planet threatened to consume Hux unless he exhausted himself with another task. It isn’t a practical or a particularly healthy solution but it works for him. For now.

Tonight is no different. After an extra-long shift on the bridge of the _Finalizer_ , Hux had retreated back to his quarters, showered, changed into his sleeping attire, had a small meal and is currently sitting up in bed, his back against the headboard, his data pad clutched in his cold hand. He scrolls down the screen, his eyes scanning the words but his mind doesn’t process them. His thoughts have wandered elsewhere tonight, to a small backwater planet on the other side of the galaxy. Ren’s presence in his mind is extremely faint, as is the presence of their bond, though he can feel that the little flickering flame is refusing to be extinguished. Hux is confident that he will absolutely know if death finds Ren; he's sure he’d be able to sense it somehow, through their bond. He hasn’t been able to sense anything about Ren during the past six months that they’ve been apart but Hux has no doubts that his omega is still alive. Beaten, perhaps, but definitely still breathing.

But Hux finds that he can't shake his omega from his thoughts this night. His tired eyelids being to droop but he sleep doesn’t take him. He glances over to the empty half of his bed, imaging Ren sleeping next to him. Hux sighs. He’d have all of the bad aspects of their relationship back in a heartbeat if it meant having the good too; Ren’s tantrums, their arguments and the way Ren knew _exactly_ how to get under Hux’s skin. But with that, he’d have _his_ Ren back; the kisses, the reassurance he always got from having Ren by his side on the bridge and _knowing_ that Ren was safe, being able to see that he was unharmed.

If Ren were here, he would’ve started an argument with Hux by now about how pointless it is to attempt to work whilst on the verge of falling asleep. Hux sets his data pad down, knowing that he isn’t going to get any real work done whilst Ren has taken over his thoughts. Reaching across the bed, he flicks the switch on the wall next to his bed and his quarters are plunged into complete darkness. He shifts in the sheets, moving to lie down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He tries not to picture Ren sleeping in his small quarters on Snoke’s planet, alone and suffering, without Hux. He’s unsuccessful and Hux relives the last moments he’d spent with Ren before he’d walked away from him. A dull ache settles in his head and Hux knows he’s not going to get any sleep tonight.

He lies awake for the remainder of the night, his temples throbbing as his alarm begins to beep aggressively at him, informing him that he’s due on the bridge in an hour. He rolls over and turns it off in a swift movement but he makes no move to get out of bed. He feels exhausted, both mentally and physically, and he absently wonders whether this will finally be the day when he collapses on the bridge. Pushing himself up, Hux sits up in bed and runs his hands through his messy red hair. He gets of out bed and pulls the blanket over the mattress neatly, smoothing the creases down with his palms. His lips almost curve into a smile as he hears Ren’s voice in a memory in his mind.

_What’s the point in making the bed if you’re only going to get back into it tonight?_

Ren had said that to him on more than one occasion during their brief time of sharing the same bed. But the small smile soon fades as the more recent memories of Ren rise to the surface. He wonders how long it’ll be before he feels as though he can function normally again without a looming sense of dread and immense guilt hanging over him constantly as he tries to go about his day. He’s sure his subordinates don’t suspect anything is wrong; Hux has spent too many years with his own mask on, hiding his emotions from everyone else, especially other alphas and especially during his time at Arkanis Academy. A handful of other students had teased him about his alpha status, telling him that he was actually a beta, that there was no way he was a _real_ alpha; he was too skinny and too quiet. His father, the arrogant alpha that is Brendol Hux, had told him to fight back against the bullies but Hux was small as a boy, just skin and bone, no muscle and no real drive. Hux had even begun to believe their taunts for a while too, that with his bright red hair and his freckled face and his knobbly knees, he _couldn’t_ be a real alpha. He _must_ be a beta, biologically programmed to be submissive.

But as he'd grown up at the Academy, young Hux had learned how to overcome his weaknesses; to fight dirty. Neither his height nor the slim frame of his body held him back now that he knew _fighting back_ didn't nexessarily mean getting his hands dirty. After eliminating his competition by any means necessary, Hux had graduated top of his class and fought his way up to the rank of _General_ , leaving the other alphas behind him in the dust. His father had once said to him that he was _close_ to feeling proud of his only son. If she were still alive, Hux is sure his mother would have been.

Hux moves into the bathroom and turns on the taps, the cold water filling the sink quickly. He looks up into the mirror, his reflection distorted as a result of the cracks in the glass that his fist had left in it six months ago. Glancing down at his knuckles, he can still see the marks left on his skin by his violent outburst but he doesn’t mind; he’s always liked scars, the fact that each one tells a story of survival, no matter how small it is. As he looks at himself in the cracked mirror, Hux finds himself feeling as though he’s back at the Academy, staring at his reflection and questioning whether or not he's actually an alpha. Would a real alpha leave their mate on a far off planet with a sadistic madman? Would a real alpha have spent the last six months cowering away on their ship, too afraid of facing the consequences of their actions? Would a real alpha sit here and do absolutely _nothing_ to help their troubled mate?

Hux can feel the conflict inside him, burning away at him, mocking him. He splashes the cold water on his face but it does nothing, it changes nothing.

_You think too much._

Ren’s voice echoes across his mind but Hux knows it’s just a memory, not the real thing attempting to communicate with him through their weakened bond. He knows he’ll never hear Ren’s voice in his mind again.

And that tortures him.

///////////////////////////////////////////

The _Finalizer_ is stationed in a First-Order-affiliated system in an attempt to regroup and strengthen their alliances. After the loss of Starkiller, doubt has spread quickly across the Galaxy about whether the First Order is as truly as formidable as everyone says, and Hux knows that keeping their allies close is crucial at this point in time, especially with the loathsome Resistance having won the battle of Starkiller. Faith in Hux’s regimes have been shaken but Hux is confident that it wouldn’t be long before the Resistance would be quashed under his own boot. He’s especially looking forward to coming up with a rather creative punishment for the scavenger girl and FN-2187 for the damage they caused Ren in their duel. He’s sure he can dig deep and invent something that will be incredible painful to make the pair of traitors pay for scarring Ren in the way that they have. Hux feels his mind drift and begins to think of the punishment he’d subject Snoke to for the suffering he’s caused Ren; something slow, something that wouldn’t kill him quickly.

 _Who’s the traitor now?_ He thinks to himself as he walks slowly along the length of the bridge, inspecting the work of his officers.

“Sir,” a female officer interrupts his thoughts. He walks to her station and stands behind her. “We have an unidentified spacecraft approaching. It’s just dropped out of hyperspace.”

“An unidentified ship?” Hux echoes, a little unsure of what she means.

“A heavily modified Imperial shuttle, sir. It’s requesting permission to dock.”

Hux looks at the screen on her console to see schematics of an old _Lambda-_ class shuttle from the days of the Empire with its tall, dorsal stabilizer and two lower wings extended during its flight. Hux hasn’t seen one of these in years, in fact, he presumed they’d all been scrapped or melted down to make way for the newer, more modern ships. Hux frowns for a moment, wondering whether to allow the ship dock. He knows such shuttles are incredibly well-armed so he presumes that if their intention was to fire upon the _Finalizer_ , they would have done so already. This wasn’t a hostile enemy approaching them, he's deduced that much. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Hux’s neck stand on end and shivers run across his skin, his mind set ablaze. He remains composed but his emotions are sent into a flurry, Ren’s presence in his mind becoming a little stronger.

“Give the ship permission to dock,” he orders and, before the officer can reply, he’s striding towards the hangar bay, hoping that the feeling that’s swelling in his gut is correct. He breaks out into a run, moving quickly and desperately down the corridors to the lower decks. The ship should have landed by now. He slows his run into a jog when he reaches the hangar bay, wanting to maintain a little professionalism in front of his subordinates. A dozen Stormtroopers have surrounded the Imperial shuttle, their blasters all trained on the ramp which is lowering slowly. Hux approaches the troopers as a figure emerges from the ship, huddled in on itself. Hux’s breath hitches in his throat.

Kylo Ren staggers down the ramp, looking as though he’s on the verge of collapsing.

“Stand down!” Hux shouts to the Stormtroopers as he pushes through their perimeter, desperate to get to Ren’s side. The troopers do as they’re told and lower their weapons, watching as their General _runs_ to help Ren. “Get the medics down here, now!”

Ren reaches the bottom of the ramp and stands still for a second before Hux is by his side, supporting his weight. Hux's arm is quickly around Ren's lower back, and Ren leans heavily on him, his breath ragged and his eyes half-lidded. Hux can’t believe how weak Ren looks; a dark bruise dwells under his left eye, both his lip and his left eyebrow are split with speckles of dried blood littering across his incredibly pale skin. His cheekbones are more prominent than Hux remembers and he feels warm underneath Hux’s touch, but he absently supposes that wearing layers of black robes is the source of Ren’s warmth. With a weak grip, Ren holds his outer robe tightly around himself as though he's freezing.

Ren’s eyes open a little wider as he stares at Hux’s face.

“H…ux.” His voice is no louder than a whisper and Hux suspects that’s all he can manage. His throat sounds incredibly dry.

Before Hux can respond, Ren’s eyes slip close and his legs promptly give out underneath him, leaving it to Hux to support him. Having his wits about him, Hux manages to slide his arm underneath Ren’s shoulder blades so he can lower him gently to the floor, Ren’s head resting gently in the crook of Hux’s elbow. Hux can see the uneven movement of Ren’s chest and hear the sound of his ragged breaths as he holds him close, unbelieving that Ren has managed to find his way back to him. With his free hand, Hux combs his fingers through Ren’s dark hair, moving it away from the dried blood on his cut eyebrow. Hux knows he'll have to wait until Ren has had a proper medical assessment to know the full extent of his injuries but just seeing the damage on Ren’s young face is enough to fuel Hux’s rage, and his desire to kill Snoke.

A team of three medics arrive with a hydraulic stretcher and two of them gently lift Ren from Hux’s arms and safely onto the stretcher. One of them approaches Hux and asks for clarity of the situation involving Ren and his wounds, as if Hux would know. Hux watches over the medic’s shoulder as Ren is taken back up to the medical wing and Hux’s body aches for him to immediately follow.

“I am unsure of the extent of his injuries, doctor, but you must excuse me,” and Hux strides after Ren, feeling nauseated at the thought of what the medics will find.

///////////////////////////////////////////

With his hands shaking in his lap and his back extremely straight, Hux sits impatiently outside Ren’s room on the medical wing, awaiting to be told the degree to which Ren has been harmed. _By Snoke_ , he mentally adds, realising that he shouldn’t talk about the Supreme Leader in that manner out loud. Whilst he expects that a lot of personnel on this ship were loyal to _him,_ he expects an even greater number would argue that their sympathies truly lie with the Supreme Leader himself and not just his puppet. But Hux will cross that bridge when he comes to it. Now, he's too concerned about Ren to think about the ways in which he would end Snoke's life and take over the galaxy.

The door to Ren’s room swishes open and Hux stands up quickly, startling the medic with his abruptness.

“Well?” Hux says, feeling incredibly worried about why the doctor looks as though he’s about to deliver bad news.

The medic takes his glasses off and cleans them on his white shirt, holding his data pad underneath his arm. “I am presuming that you are aware that Lord Ren is an omega, General.”

Hux nods, "of course."

“And you are aware that he is bonded to an alpha that he has been seperated from for the last six months.”

Hux is sure the medic knows that _he_ is Ren’s alpha but it’s as though he’s afraid to ask. And for some reason, Hux feels afraid to tell, as though the information has some bearing on what the medic is going to tell him about Ren’s health.

“Lord Ren…has not coped well without his alpha, General.” The medic slides his glasses back up his nose and stares intensely at Hux’s tired face for a few seconds, his gaze wandering down Hux’s body as though taking mental notes. “And from the looks of your own health, _you_ have not coped well without him either. Sir.”

“Will he recover?” Hux asks, bypassing the medic’s last comment completely. He wants to know how injured Ren is, he doesn't want to stand and discuss his still-growing relationship with Ren. His hand flexes by his side, itching to get into the room and see Ren for himself, as though he desperately needs visual validation that his omega is back aboard his ship and safely away from Snoke.

The medic looks down at the datapad in his hand. “Lord Ren has no life-threatening injuries. The bruises and cuts will heal in due time and there will be no long-term mental problems as a result of the separation. He’s dehydrated and malnourished but he’s on a drip and will soon regain his strength." Hux sighs in relief but his happiness is short-lived as the medic speaks again. "But there is one thing, General.”

Hux swallows hard. “What is it?”

“He is six months pregnant.”

Hux closes his eyes for a couple of seconds, his heart beating wildly in his chest, so much so that he thinks he may have to sit down before his knees give out. He remains composed, pulling his jacket down.

“I will see him now, doctor.”

“Of course, General,” the medic replies and steps out of Hux’s way.

Hux feels himself hesitate for a second but he gathers his strength and moves past the doctor, the door to Ren’s room swishing open automatically. Hux steps in and allows his mask to fall away. Ren lies flat on his back in the bed, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. With the dried blood gone from his face, Hux can see the deep cut across his left eyebrow and the darkening bruise underneath his left eye. As the medic had mentioned, an IV drip is attached to his right arm, giving him the supplements he’s been deprived of over the last six months. Despite the consistent beeping of the life-sign machines, Hux doesn’t feel reassured that Ren is alive. He lies deathly still and pale beneath the white sheets of the bed, his arms resting on top of the blanket. As Hux moves to sit in the chair that’s been placed at the top of the bed, he can’t draw his gaze away from the gentle curve of Ren’s abdomen. The layers of robes hid the bump extremely well before and Hux curses himself for not noticing. He rubs his hand over his eyes and sighs.

_It…it must belong to Snoke._

The sounds of Ren’s screams and sobs flood back to his mind as he relives the memory of the way Snoke had tortured the omega, his long fingers clawing at the air as he explained to them both that he’d taken their child from them. The thought of Snoke using Ren in such an _intimate_ way sends Hux’s mind into a rage, which is only fuelled as he further inspects Ren’s beaten body, his eyes lingering across his bare torso. There’s light bruising across his collarbone in the shape on fingerprints and scratches across his shoulders. Hux reaches for Ren’s hand and knits their fingers together, relishing in the feeling of having Ren’s skin against his again, ignoring the fact that Ren's hands are so much bigger than his.

 _This is my fault,_ Hux thinks as the guilt floods his mind. _None of this should have happened._ Hux knows he should never have left Ren to suffer Snoke’s torture alone. He should have stayed or at least found a way to take Ren away with him. He curses himself; how dare he call himself an alpha for allowing _this_ to happen to his omega. Absently, Hux brings forth the image of the flickering flame, noting that it's burning a little stronger than it has been doing for the previous months. He brings Ren’s hand up to his mouth and presses his lips against Ren’s knuckles, feeling a light spread of warmth begin to radiate in his mind. He knows having Ren back should make him feel elated, that Ren somehow escaped Snoke’s citadel and flown across the galaxy just to get back to Hux. But he doesn’t.

He feels unworthy.

////////////////////////////////////////////////

At some point during his vigilant watch over Ren, Hux falls into a light sleep, their fingers still entwined. A sharp spark of energy suddenly bolts across his mind and shocks him back to consciousness. He jolts awake, sitting upright in the chair. He instinctively looks over at Ren, whose eyes are beginning to flutter open.

“Ren?” Hux asks, leaning forward.

Ren moans and brings his hand up to the oxygen mask, pulling at it with weak fingers.

“Alright, alright,” Hux says and unknits their fingers so he can aid Ren in removing the mask. His fingers work quickly and he manages to unclasp the straps of the mask, pulling it away from Ren’s face and dropping it to the side. With the mask gone, Hux can see the cut on Ren’s bottom lip, which looks incredibly painful. He finds his gaze lingering on Ren’s full lips, wanting to take them against his. With a groan, Ren makes a weak attempt to push himself up onto his elbows, his teeth gritted together as he tries to push past the pain. Hux lays a hand on Ren’s shoulder, careful not to touch the scratches that cut across his skin.

“You’re not healed yet, Ren. Be careful.”

Ren looks up at him with the dark, deep eyes that have haunted Hux’s dreams for the last six months. Doing as he’s told, Ren lowers himself back down onto the bed with a sigh, his hair fanning out around him on the white pillow. He reaches out, looking for Hux’s hand. When he finds it, he holds onto it as tightly as his tired body can manage, dragging it weakly over to his stomach. Hux allows Ren to guide his hand but is a little confused as to what the omega is doing. Ren drops Hux’s hand on top of the curve of his stomach, placing his own palm over the back of Hux’s hand. Hux frowns, looking over to meet Ren’s gaze. The omega’s eyes begin to flutter close but not before a single word passes his lips in a whisper.

“…Yours.”

Hux watches as Ren passes out, his hand slowly slipping off Hux’s and landing to rest on the mattress. Hux’s mouth falls slightly agape as his gaze flicks between Ren’s face and his stomach, unbelieving of what Ren has just told him.

 _It can’t be,_ Hux thinks as he rubs his thumb across the fabric of the sheets covering Ren’s stomach. _It can’t be mine. Snoke took our child from us months ago. It can’t be mine._

But he doesn’t move his hand until there’s a sharp knock on the door several minutes later. The same medic that Hux spoke to before enters and Hux hopes that he pulled his hand off Ren’s stomach quick enough that the medic didn’t see what he was doing.

“I am sorry to disturb you, General, but Captain Phasma is requesting to speak with you.”

Hux takes a quick glance at Ren’s sleeping face before he stands, straightening out the creases in his jacket. He follows the medic out and sees Phasma is standing outside of Ren’s door in all her chrome armour, minus her helmet, which she holds in the crook of her arm.

“General,” she greets with a slight nod of her head.

Hux has seen Phasma with her helmet off before but he always seems to forget how intimidating she is. A _real_ alpha, if Hux ever saw one.

“Captain,” Hux replies politely, “can I help you?”

Phasma shifts uncomfortably on her feet, adjusting the helmet’s position in her arm. “Is it true?”

Hux frowns. “Is _what_ true?”

“That you and Kylo Ren are mated. That _you’re_ his alpha.”

Rumour spreads quickly, Hux thinks, supposing that the way he'd ran to Ren’s side in the hangar in front of officers and Stormtroopers was bound to spark some sort of tale about their relationship.

“It’s true.”

Hux sees Phasma’s expression flicker as though she’s shocked by the revelation. “Snoke had him put on heat suppressants when he was younger but all his medication was destroyed on Starkiller. He went into heat soon after and I…helped him through it.”

Phasma nods, obviously grateful for Hux’s explanation of such a personal and private matter. “What’s happened to him? I thought he went to that planet so Snoke could complete his training.”

“He did,” Hux begins and Phasma frowns. “Apparently Snoke had his own plans for Ren once the First Order had conquered the galaxy. Snoke was going to bond with Ren himself but…I bonded with him first. You can very well imagine that the Supreme Leader didn’t take kindly to that revelation.”

“Snoke did this to him?” Phasma’s tone is sharp, shocked. Hux knows that her relationship with Ren barely goes beyond being civilised work colleagues but she sounds almost _upset_ at the thought of Snoke harming Ren like this. Hux has known Phasma a while, longer than he’s known Ren, and he’s never seen such emotion in her eyes. He absently wonders whether everyone he knows who wears a helmet wears it to conceal their feelings which are betrayed by their eyes. Or maybe Hux has just begun to take more note of people’s eyes since he knows how much emotion is conveyed in Ren’s dark eyes.

Hux lowers his tone, speaking in a whisper. “Snoke is to blame for all of this, Phasma. I can’t allow him to get away with this.”

Phasma nods gently, Hux knows she understands what he means to do. She changes the subject, “What of the child?”

Hux runs his hand through his red hair, combing back the strands. He’d hoped that Phasma wouldn’t ask. “Ren has said that the child is mine but…”

“ _But_ what, General?”

“I know Snoke has... _taken_...him. I can smell him on Ren’s skin.” Hux suppresses a shiver, not wanting to think about that. “I need you to do something for me, Captain.”

“Sir?”

Hux can tell she wants to know more about the child but Hux is afraid to talk about it, as though Ren might be wrong about its parentage. He’d spent months pushing the thoughts of his and Ren’s child from his mind, trying not to dwell on what they had lost. Yet that possibility is back, being dangled in front of him, mocking him like it was bait for him to take, and he fully expects it to be ripped away at the last second.

“I need you to inspect the ship that Ren arrived here on. I don’t believe for a second that Snoke would have allowed his most _prized possession_ to escape so easily.”

“Of course, General. Anything else?”

 _Tell me he’s going to be all right._ “No, thank you, Captain. I appreciate your concern. Report back to me should you find anything on the ship.”

“I will.” She takes her helmet into her hands, flicking a stray piece of blonde hair out of her face, readying herself to put the helmet back on. “I’m…glad he’s found his way back to you. Grief surely would have taken one of you should you have been apart for too long. I know what it’s like to lose a mate.”

Before Hux can even properly process what she has said, Phasma places her helmet back on her head and marches away from him. Hux watches her leave and makes a mental note to ask her about her seemingly troubled past at a more convenient time. He walks back into Ren’s room and sees that his omega hasn’t moved since he left him. Hux rubs the back of his neck, pushing his fingers down hard on a particularly sore muscle. He looms over Ren’s still form, feeling utterly helpless to aid his omega. As he steps closer to the chair, he leans down and gently presses his lips against Ren’s, feeling a little relieved when he hears Ren make a small groan. At least Hux knows that Ren isn’t completely unresponsive. Hux lowers himself down into the chair and finds himself drifting into sleep, into a dream.

A dream that he knows isn’t his.

////////////////////////////////////////

_Hux opens his eyes slowly, finding himself standing at the end of the long entrance corridor in Snoke’s citadel. He feels odd, like he shouldn’t be here, like he doesn’t belong. He gazes down the long corridor and sees a black figure kneeling at the bottom of the grand, white marble staircase, with a tall figure standing on the steps in a proud stance._

_Hux runs forward, wanting to inspect the situation further. He knows Ren is the figure huddled on the floor and that Snoke is standing above him on the stairs. As he gets closer, he sees that the last few steps are littered with droplets of blood, standing out on the starkness of the white marble. Hux gets close enough to see Ren’s face, seeing that his lip and eyebrow have fresh cuts on them, a bruise already beginning to spread underneath his left eye._

_“Ren!” Hux says as he drops to his knees beside him but as he tries to touch him, Hux sees his hands fall straight through Ren’s body as though he’s just a hologram. Ren can’t see or hear him, Hux curses under his breath. He looks at Ren’s body, noting that his stomach is quite large, about the same size as it is now as the real Ren lies in the medical wing of the Finalizer. The Ren in front of Hux now has his arms folded protectively over his stomach as he fights back the tears._

_“You will be punished for your disobedience, my omega. Attacking my physicians is unacceptable behaviour.” Snoke sneers down at Ren, who doesn’t look up at him. “General Hux is gone, he does not care about you. Our child is what is important now, Kylo.”_

_“You’re wrong.” Ren shakes his head, “Hux left to protect me.” He stands up slowly, standing up as straight as his bruised body will allow, staring up at Snoke. “He’s still my alpha. He’s--“_

_Ren suddenly takes a sharp intake of breath, his hand reaching up to press against his temple, groaning. Hux stands now too, crushed with the agony of not being able to comfort Ren._

_“I have ordered you not to think of him,” Snoke says, his tone sinister._

_“N-no.”_

_“Should he be foolish enough to come back here, I shall take great joy in ripping his beating heart from his chest.”_

_“NO!”_

_Hux watches on as Ren throws his palm outwards towards Snoke, his fingers spread wide as he compiles what little strength he has into a strong Force-push, knocking Snoke backwards with a sickening crack as his skull meets the marble step. His body slides down the stairs, leaving a slight trail of blood. Ren steps back, gasping in shock or with rage, Hux can’t tell. Ren pulls his robe around himself and turns away from Snoke’s twitching body. Hux can see that the Supreme Leader isn’t dead but at least Ren has seriously injured him._

_“Kylo…” Hux whispers, unable to stop his hand from reaching to grab Ren’s arm, though his hand falls straight through Ren's body like it had done the first time._

_But to Hux's dismay, Ren turns to look in Hux’s direction, as though he's heard him whispering his name, but Ren looks straight through him. Without composing himself, Ren runs down the long corridor and Hux follows suit, being unsure as to what he’s just witnessed. Is this really a dream? Or is it a memory?_

_Once Ren reaches the large blast doors, Hux watches as he uses the Force to push them apart, the strong wind pushing against Ren’s weakened body as he walks out into the storm towards an old Imperial shuttle belonging to one of Snoke’s attending physicians. Hux can only watch on as Ren boards the ship, the storm raging around him._

////////////////////////////////////////

The sensation of someone tracing the scars on his knuckles from when he'd punched his bathroom mirror is the first thing that Hux becomes aware of when he awakens. He’s slouched uncomfortably in the chair and his neck pains slightly when he moves to sit up properly. Opening his eyes and looking at Ren, he sees Ren’s dark eyes staring back at him.

“Ren,” Hux says, sitting completely upright in his chair, shifting it closer to the bed.

“Hux,” Ren replies with a slightly husky tone, obviously a result of his dry throat. “Where--?”

“You’re in the medical wing of the _Finalizer._ Do you remember how you got here?”

Ren pulls his hand away from Hux’s and runs it through his hair, combing back the wayward strands. “I…stole a ship. I ran from Snoke. I ran back to you.” He rubs his forehead as though he’s sporting a nasty headache. Hux supposes he probably is. “You…were in my dream.”

Hux frowns slightly. “It didn’t feel like a dream. Is that how you escaped?”

Ren nods. “I know he’s not dead. I should’ve killed him whilst I had the chance, Hux. I should’ve slaughtered him, I’m sorr--”

“Don’t you dare apologise,” Hux interjects, shaking his head. “Don’t you dare, Ren.” Hux takes Ren’s hand in his own. “I want the pleasure of slaughtering him myself for what he’s done to you.” Hux runs his thumb across the back of Ren’s hand, stroking the curves of his knuckles.

Ren says nothing. He pushes himself up onto his elbows and Hux knows arguing with him about needing to rest would be pointless this time, seeing as Ren is so alert, so he moves Ren’s pillows for him, propping him up a little. Ren leans back with a heavy sigh.

Hux’s gaze leaves Ren’s face for a second to glance down at the bump of Ren’s stomach. “What…what of the child?”

Ren’s free hand moves from his side to rest on his stomach, with him being careful not to pull on the tube of the IV that’s attached to the back of his hand. “I…it’s yours, Hux.”

“It can’t be, Ren. We haven’t been together for months and Snoke destroyed any life you had inside you. And he’s knotted you since then.”

Ren looks a little startled at the fact that Hux is aware of the fact that Snoke has taken him. “How do you know that?”

“I can smell him on you.”

“I’m sorry. I tried shielding you from the pain I was feeling but…I felt more alone with your presence gone from my mind.” Ren looks as though he’s on the verge of tears. Hux feels desperately sorry for him. “But he didn’t kill our child. It held on, somehow. It’s yours, Hux. I can feel it.”

Hux leans forward and takes Ren’s lips against his and they kiss desperately, Hux being conscious of the cut on Ren’s lip, but Ren doesn’t seem phased. His hand moves to hold Hux’s cheek, sliding upwards to knit his fingers in Hux’s red hair.  

“I trust you,” Hux says as he pulls away, sitting back down properly in the chair. “I do have one thing to ask of you though, Ren.”

“And what’s that?”

Hux can tell Ren looks worried about what he’s going to ask him to do. Hux smiles. “Unshield yourself from me. I want to be able to feel you again, to be able to feel our bond.”

Ren looks a little apprehensive, as though he’s worried that doing so will harm Hux in some way but he nods, closing his eyes. Hux wonders whether he should close his eyes too but there’s suddenly a warm light engulfing his mind and filling his senses, so much so that he gasps. The coldest corners of his consciousness become flooded with heat as Ren’s mental shields fall away, allowing the two of them to reconnect. Hux squints as the feeling in his mind becomes a little too harsh for him to bear. He summons the image of the flickering flame, feeling incredibly relieved to see it burning stronger than ever.

“Are you alright?” Ren asks, concerned that he’s hurt Hux.

“Fine. As always.”

Ren scoffs. “You can’t lie to me, Hux. I don’t buy into all that anymore.”

“All _what?”_ Hux raises his eyebrow, genuinely confused at what Ren is referring to.

“The cold exterior and heartlessness. You’re not made out of steel. You’re human. And as much as you like everyone to think you are, you’re not _completely_ emotionless.” Ren smirks, feeling proud of himself that he may have annoyed Hux.

Hux allows himself to smile as he watches Ren’s eyes become brighter. He kisses Ren again but only for a brief couple of seconds this time.

“Go to sleep, Ren, you Force-sensitive idiot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, they're reunited! ...but for how long? ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next couple of days, Ren’s condition greatly improves and he regains the majority of his strength, though he's still confined to his bed in the medical wing. The physical damage dealt to his body is healing well and a lot of the marks made by Snoke’s assaults are already fading, to both Ren's and Hux's delight. The IV drip is still supporting him, still embedded into his arm, but Ren has already argued on numerous occasions that it’s unnecessary and should be removed, but his complains have fallen on deaf ears. Hux is pleased with his progress, feeling relieved to have Ren back in his care. He feels incredibly content knowing that Ren is safe and here with him, and that they're having a _child._ The agony that Hux had felt when he'd realised all too late that Ren had been pregnant, after Snoke had seemingly taken that child from them, had been completely overhwelming. Hux had believed that they'd lost their child, and that had only added to his grief over the last six months. But presently, Hux has already started making plans for the birth, getting things mentally organised for its arrival in three months time.

Though, to Hux’s dismay, Ren’s bad attitude has also returned with his improving health.

“Considering you’re the highest ranking officer on this ship, you must have some weight in aiding the medic’s decision to discharge me.” 

Hux rolls his eyes, accompanied by a small shake of his head. Ren is sitting in the hospital bed, his arms folded across his chest and his head leaning back against the headboard, his gaze locked idly on his alpha. Hux sits in the chair next to the bed, flicking through notes on his data pad, his greatcoat resting grandly on his shoulders.

Hux doesn’t look up. “The medics know best, Ren. You won’t be in here forever.”

“That’s exactly what you said yesterday.”

“Then it’s probably what I’ll say tomorrow too.”

Ren groans. Hux smirks. 

“They just want to keep an eye on you and the child for a little while longer.” He sets the data pad down on the small table next to Ren’s bed and pushes himself out of the chair, standing up straight as Ren watches his every move.  “It’s just a precaution.” Hux paces around the room, stretching his legs.

“I’ll be able to sense if something’s wrong. None of these machines,” he gestures to the various beeping devices that surround him, “are more capable of detecting a problem than I am.”

Hux scoffs. “And I suppose your ridiculous magic will be  _capable_ of taking care of you and the child if a problem should arise.” He raises his eyebrows, “or would you need the help of modern medicine?”

Ren doesn’t reply and Hux feels quite pleased with himself. Usually, it's Ren who manages to get under Hux's skin with his smart remarks, not the other way around, but Hux thinks it's a nice change. As Hux moves back to sit in the chair, Ren slides down the bed, lying flat on his back and pulling the blankets up to his chin.  _Sulking, as usual,_ Hux thinks, staring at Ren’s face. Truthfully, despite Ren's constant attempts at winding him up, Hux knows he's missed this. The omega gasps suddenly and Hux sees his hand moving under the blankets to touch his stomach.

“What is it?” Hux asks, sounding frightfully worried. He sits forward in the chair. “Should I get the medic?”

“No, it’s--,” Ren gasps again and sits up a little, his teeth gritted. “Come here.”

He grabs Hux’s left hand and pulls his leather glove off, tossing it aside carelessly. Hux is about to scold him for being so impertinent but he doesn’t, noting how frantic Ren’s movements are. He kicks the blanket off, lifting his baggy black shirt up, exposing the bump of his stomach. He places Hux’s hand on the underside of the curve and falls silent, covering Hux’s hand with his own.

Hux frowns. “Ren, I don’t--"

“Ssh!”

Hux opens his mouth to protest but there’s suddenly a sensation against his palm. The baby kicks hard against his hand and Hux looks up at Ren, who’s staring at him with a slight twinkle in his dark eyes. Hux feels a wave of elation rush over him and he’s unable to distinguish whether the feeling is his or Ren’s. He leans across and kisses Ren, their fingers entwining on Ren’s stomach. Hux feels another kick against his palm as Ren’s fingers knit in Hux’s hair, combing through the red strands. 

Hux breaks the kiss, watching Ren’s dark eyes open slowly.

“I’ll see what I can do about the medics discharging you,” he says and Ren’s face lights up, as though he’s feeling proud that he’s managed to convince Hux to attempt to bargain his way out of medbay. As Hux makes his way towards the door, he makes sure to pick up his glove that Ren  _rudely_ tossed aside a few minutes ago, turning to frown at Ren, who smirks back. Hux exits the room with one last glance at Ren, his greatcoat swishing behind him. 

////////////////////////////////////////

Kylo rests his head back against the headboard of the hospital bed as he watches Hux leave the room, his hand moving loose strands of hair from his face. He looks down at the soft curve of his stomach, still exposed from where he'd lifted his shirt up minutes ago. Of course, he’s felt their child kick before this moment, whilst he was still Snoke’s prisoner, but that hadn't felt the same as it did now, with Hux. Before, he’d almost wanted to ignore the kicks of his child, as though the movements were some kind of cruel reminder that he was trapped with Snoke and Hux was across the other side of the galaxy but now, Kylo feels almost euphoric. He pulls his baggy shirt back down, which barely manages to cover his stomach. He decides that he's going to have to find some larger clothes, though is isn’t as if he can borrow any of Hux’s, considering his alpha is a couple of inches shorter than he is and considerably thinner. Despite his seemingly soft appearance, Kylo had known from the moment he’d first met Hux that he was an alpha. Hux’s soft red hair and his pale skin littered with tiny freckles hadn’t fooled Kylo; the determination and the ruthlessness that he’d sensed radiating off Hux’s presence had almost overwhelmed him. Kylo remembers thinking that him taking heat suppressants was a miraculous thing at that point; meeting Hux and _wanting_ Hux could have definitely sent him into a heat right there and then.  

But Snoke had ordered him to keep his biological alignment to himself, to not disclose his status as an omega to anyone, not even General Hux. Thinking nothing of this order, Kylo had done what his master had asked. Yet, now, here he is, sitting in the medical wing of the  _Finalizer,_ wounded from escaping the clutches of his master and pregnant with Hux’s child.

But there's still a nagging thought in the back of his mind that bothers him immensely, though he has no plans to mention his worries to Hux: Snoke is still alive. Kylo has no idea how much damage he’d dealt to his  _master_  by Force-pushing him down the marble stairs, but Kylo knows that it wouldn’t have been enough to gravely wound him to the point where he couldn't hold a grudge. Snoke is still out there, in the high walls of his citadel, no doubt plotting Kylo's and Hux’s demise. Kylo shifts uncomfortably in the bed as the baby kicks again, seemingly a lot harder than when Hux was here a second ago. He places his palm over the area where he felt it kick, rubbing his thumb over the fabric of his black shirt.

“It’s alright,” he whispers, being aware that he probably sounds ridiculous, talking to the bump of his own stomach, but he continues nonetheless, feeling calm waves wash over him. “I won’t allow anything to happen to you. Or to your father. We’ll keep you safe.”

He absently wonders whether Snoke is still under the impression that the child is his. Kylo is absolutely certain it’s Hux’s, he can sense it. Whilst he'd been held on Snoke's planet, Kylo had tried his very hardest to shield Snoke’s mind from his child’s, hoping that Snoke wouldn’t be able to sense that it didn’t belong to him, that his attempt at destroying the beginnings of life inside Kylo had failed, that either Kylo’s body or the child itself had been strong enough to allow the life to hold on and to grow. He’s sure that during his last day on Snoke’s planet, Snoke had come close to finding out about who the child’s real father is. Kylo casts his mind back, remembering the events of his last day in Snoke's citadel. 

Snoke had requested that specialist physicians and midwifery droids, who were once part of the medical facility on Polis Massa, were to travel to his citadel to examine Kylo, to ensure that he and the child were both healthy and progressing as normal. Reluctantly, Kylo had agreed to comply with all of Snoke’s wishes, wanting to do anything the Supreme Leader wanted in order to keep his child,  _Hux’s_ child, alive and safe. But as he lay on the examination table and as he watched the medics approach him with menacing-looking tools in their blue-gloved hands, panic had risen quickly in Kylo.  _This_ was his limit, he remembers thinking; that he couldn’t be poked and prodded like he was some sort of beast in a cage, though now, he supposes that’s exactly what he was. He’d pushed them all away from him with the Force and, after pulling his robe back around himself for comfort, he'd fled the room with the desperate intention of finding a way back to Hux. 

But Snoke had been waiting for him, looking less than pleased at Kylo’s actions.

What happened next is still a little hazy in Kylo’s mind. He rubs his eyes hard, trying to remember what happened next. He distinctly remembers being half-dragged down the large marble staircase, Snoke’s long fingers grasping at the front of his robes and Kylo feeling too weak to fight back, as though Snoke himself was supressing his strength. Halfway down, Snoke had thrown him down the rest of the steps, Kylo landing with a pained yell on the left side of his body, his face hitting a step hard as he fell and rolled down to land on the dark floor at the bottom of the stairs. 

Shifting in the sheets of the hospital bed, Kylo brings his hand up to his left eye, feeling the bruising around his eye socket. It is still sore to the touch, as is his lip but the cut on his eyebrow has healed quite quickly. He casts his mind back again, remembering Snoke’s words to him as he knelt at the bottom of the stairs, his arms folded around his stomach.  

_“General Hux is gone, he does not care about you. Our child is what is important now, Kylo.”_

So Snoke was still under Kylo’s illusion that the child belonged to him, that Kylo was  _his_ omega and not Hux’s. In that moment, Kylo had chosen to bring it all down, to be defiant against his master for the first time in his life without a single thought of what the consequences would be. He needed to get back to Hux, he couldn’t stay here for a second longer. If he did, Kylo was afraid he'd lose himself, that he really would be Snoke's omega and that he'd be lost to Hux forever.

_“You’re wrong. Hux left to protect me. He’s still my alpha. He’s--”_

And then the pain had begun to radiate across his mind, spreading like a raging wildfire. Snoke was infiltrating his thoughts and was attempting to poison his memories of Hux.

_“Should he be foolish enough to come back here, I shall take great joy in ripping his beating heart from his chest.”_

Kylo remembers the all other feelings being ripped away from him in this moment, being replaced with a rage that had consumed him quickly; a rage that coursed through his veins and overtook him until all he could see was red. 

_“NO!”_

And then he’d been standing next to Snoke’s unconscious body, his senses returning to him slowly as his rage fizzled out as it always did after a violent outburst, replaced by the desperate need to see Hux again. So he’d ran down the corridor as fast as he could, finding a ship that belonged to one of the physicians; an old, Imperial  _Lambda-_ class ship that was abandoned outside the fortress in the same spot where he and Hux had disembarked from their shuttle on the day he’d arrived on this damned little planet. Kylo has always been a fair pilot, he supposes that this was destined to be the case, with Ben being the son of the man who made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs and the grandson of one of the greatest pilots the galaxy has ever seen. Still, Kylo puts some of it down to his own ingenuityand natural instincts with the Force rather than just inherited skill from his previous family members. He’d followed the sensations of the weakened bond in his mind, the sound of Hux’s agony from being apart from his omega for this amount of time, and he’d found the  _Finalizer_ with relative ease. And he'd fallen straight into Hux’s arms, exactly like he’d wanted for the entirety of the time they’d been apart.

Kylo absently rubs at the scratch marks on his shoulder as he hears footsteps approaching his hospital room. In hindsight, Kylo knows he should have murdered the Supreme Leader whilst he had such an open opportunity and he supposes he’ll never get another chance like that again; to be the one to prise Snoke’s last breath from his lungs. He recalls that Hux had said that  _he_ wanted to be the one to end Snoke’s life but there is no way in the galaxy that Kylo is going to allow his alpha to go anywhere near Snoke after the way he’d threatened to  _rip Hux’s beating heart from his chest._ Kylo feels cold to the core at the thought of Snoke harming even a hair on Hux's glorious red head. 

The door to his room opening disrupts his enigmatic thoughts as Hux walks back in, his expression completely neutral. He holds a couple of boxes of medication in his hands and Kylo takes this as a positive sign that the medics are allowing him to leave. But he wants verbal confirmation from Hux before he gets his hopes up too high. 

“Well?” Kylo says, waiting for Hux to say something.

“Are you doubting my negotiation skills, Ren?” Hux smirks, setting the boxes down on the bed. “Someone will be along in a moment to remove your IV. They’re discharging you on the basis that you’ll take the necessary medication when you are required to and you will _take it easy_ for the remainder of the pregnancy. That means no excessive outbursts of anger. That kind of stress wouldn’t be good for the child.”

Kylo nods.  _With you around to centre me, that shouldn’t be a problem,_ he thinks as he watches Hux retrieve his robes and his boots that he had arrived here in from the small dresser on the other side of the room. Kylo is almost itching to be alone with Hux, not in a frigid hospital room, but in their own quarters, away from prying eyes of the rest of the galaxy. It’s been so long since he’s properly touched Hux and he _craves_ him. He watches the way Hux moves; the lithe movements of his alpha’s slim body, the mannerisms he’d missed over the last six months. 

“You’re staring,” Hux says, snapping Kylo out of his thoughts. Hux stands up, placing Kylo's robes neatly on the bed. “I can feel you looking at me.”

“I’ve missed you.”

Kylo can tell that Hux is slightly taken aback by this as he visibly recoils, as though Kylo is the first person to have ever uttered those words to him. Hux stops what he’s doing and steps closer to the bed, sitting down on the mattress and pulls his gloves off, placing them nearly in his lap. He moves his hand up to cup Kylo’s cheek and gently rubs his thumb under Kylo’s bruised eye, feeling the swelling beneath his touch. 

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” Hux says and kisses Kylo softly, whilst the omega is thinking the exact same thing. 

///////////////////////////////////////

After finishing their evening meal together in Hux’s quarters, Kylo settles into bed for the night, feeling particularly tired and in need of rest in a proper bed. He lies on his side, his head propped up on pillows so he’s able to watch Hux, who sits at his desk a couple of feet away from the bed with papers spread across his desk and his data pad in front of him. Kylo pulls the blankets further up onto him, resting his arm on top of them. How he’s missed these familiar sheets, soft and warm beneath his skin. 

“You work too much,” Kylo says, “no wonder you’re so grumpy all the time.” 

Hux seemingly ignores him, not wanting to rise to Kylo’s taunts, but Kylo sees the corner of Hux’s lip curve into a slight smile. 

“You should get some rest, Ren. You know that's what medics advised,” Hux says. He doesn’t look up from his data pad but he hears Kylo groan and shift in the sheets, turning over to lie flat on his back.

“The baby is restless. I can’t sleep.”

Underneath the covers, Kylo slips his hand under his shirt, rubbing the spots where he feels their child kicking. It's true that the baby is distracting him from sleep, but his being unable to fall asleep is more due to him wanting Hux to lie beside him, to hold him like he had done before he’d allowed himself to be lured into Snoke’s trap. Kylo had spent too many nights over the last six months lying alone and wide-awake in his bed imaging that Hux was sleeping beside him. Hux’s voice distracts his thoughts.

“What are we going to do once the child arrives?”

Kylo props himself up onto his elbows. “What?”

“Living arrangements, Ren. I do not believe that the flagship of the First Order is the best place to raise our child.”

Kylo frowns. “Weren’t  _you_ raised on a Star Destroyer?”

Hux avoids Kylo’s gaze, looking down at the notes on his data pad. “No. I was  _born_ on a shuttle in the middle of space. My father and I fled to Arkanis when my mother passed away. Quite a significant difference.”

Kylo’s heart sinks, watching as Hux’s green eyes become slightly distant, as though he's recalling moments from his motherless childhood. 

“I…wasn’t aware that your mother is-“

“Yes. Well. It is irrelevant.” He sniffs and Kylo swears he sees the glaze of tears brimming in his eyes. “I want our child to have the best start possible.  _Not_ on a damn Star Destroyer that will be constantly threatened by the Resistance until it is annihilated.”

Kylo agrees and makes a conscious effort to prohibit his thoughts from wandering to Ben’s mother and what she’d think of their child. She’s overly sentimental; his child would be mollycoddled and spoon-fed lies in the same way that Ben was, particularly regarding the workings of the Force. He wouldn’t allow that; he wouldn’t allow his child to be manipulated in the same way he was. 

 _Manipulated by Leia,_ _Han_ _and_ _Luke ...or by Snoke?_

The question burns in his mind but he dismisses it. He wouldn’t return to Ben’s family; he  _couldn’t,_ for a number of different reasons. 

“Whatever you want to do, Hux. I…trust you. Completely.” 

Hux looks up at him with a soft expression and their gazes hold steady in the silence. 

“Besides,” Kylo begins, rearranging his pillows and lowering himself back down to lie flat on his back, wincing slightly as he jolts his sore shoulder. “I’ve never been truly loyal to the mission of the First Order anyway.”

He hears Hux scoff and Kylo can’t help but smile, knowing he’s managed to get under Hux’s skin. He closes his eyes, as though he’s pretending he’s fallen asleep.

He hears Hux stand up from his desk, the desk chair scraping across the floor. He hears Hux organising the papers on his desk, probably pushing them all into one neat pile in the top left corner like he always does. “Ex _cuse_ me? We haven’t all waltzed into our ranks, you know. Some of us worked for years to  _earn_ our positions, to get the First Order to where it is today.”

Without even looking at him, Kylo knows Hux isn’t actually frustrated. The tone of Hux’s voice lowers dramatically when he’s genuinely angry, something Kylo noted early on in their working relationship, back when they’d been nothing more than competing colleagues, when Hux was still under the impression that Kylo was an alpha too.  _A much more complicated time,_ Kylo thinks. He hears Hux’s footfalls get closer to him and the rustling of clothes being removed and soon enough, the bed dips and Hux is sitting up next to him, wearing nothing but his black boxers and black undershirt. 

Kylo doesn’t open his eyes. “Our child won’t care for the Order anyway. I'll make sure that _he_ is trained in the ways of the Force.”

“Ren!” Hux  _almost_  shouts as his mind processes what Ren has just said, his tone has a hint of genuine frustration in it now. Kylo imagines the tips of Hux’s ears have turned a little red. “I’ve told you before, I do not wish to know the sex of the child!”

Kylo smiles, turning over in the bed so his back is to Hux. Kylo feels confident that he’s pushing Hux to the limit of his patience. He knows  _exactly_ what to say to wind Hux up. The General just makes it too easy for him.

“I’m just being facetious, Hux.” He smirks, “it’s actually a girl.”

“ _Ren!_ I mean it!” 

Kylo supresses a laugh, hearing Hux let out a frustrated sigh. The mattress shifts as Hux lies down, moving in behind Kylo and pressing his chest against Kylo’s back. Hux’s arm moves across the bed, draping itself over Kylo’s midriff.

“You really are the  _most_ irritating individual I’ve ever had the misfortune of knowing,” Hux says, pressing a kiss to the nape of Kylo’s neck.

Kylo moves his arm back, moving his hand to where Hux has settled his, entwining their fingers together slowly, relishing in the sensation of having Hux so close to him again. 

“The feeling is completely mutual, Hux. I assure you.”

/////////////////////////////

The next two months pass rather quickly aboard the  _Finalizer_ , and Hux slowly realises that he’s falling a little bit more for Ren each day as he watches their child grow. Ren is eight months along now, and Hux has ensured that all necessary plans with their medics are organised and properly in place, mostly regarding Ren’s Caesarean-section, especially if the baby should decide to arrive earlier than expected. He’s accounted for all possible issues, including Ren being stubborn about receiving treatment. Everything is completely in order and Hux is confident that their child would arrive without a hitch.

Hux is currently on-shift on the bridge whilst Ren rests in their quarters. Pregnancy had taken its toll on the omega, with the medics advising him not to carry out too much strenuous activity at this late stage. Ren had been less than compliant when Hux had informed him of the medic's advice, arguing that he wasn’t some invalid that needed to be constantly supervised. Hux knows that it was most likely the result of Ren’s tendency to get bored incredibly easily and his hatred of being alone,  _without Hux,_ for hours on end. 

But as a sharp pain suddenly jolts through his mind as Hux is midway through his sentence to Lieutenant Mitaka, he suddenly doesn't feel so calm about the whole situation. The pain is so piercing that it makes him gasp and grab his temple, his knees shake for a second but he manages to steady himself. He blinks for a long second, trying to focus on the origin of the pain. 

_The bond. Kylo._

“Are you alright, sir?” Mitaka asks, looking Hux up and down with a slightly worried gaze.

“Excuse me, Lieutenant.”

Hux brushes past Mitaka without another word and walks briskly off the bridge towards his quarters.  _Ren is in pain, Ren is distressed,_ he thinks and he breaks out into a run, the sensation of pain and discomfort in his mind getting stronger as he gets closer to Ren. Soon enough, he’s standing outside the door to his quarters. He rushes in, horrified by the scene before him.

Ren is on his knees in the middle of the room, doubled-over on himself, arms folded tightly over his abdomen. With a slight gasp, Hux lurches forward and drops to his knees beside Ren, grasping at Ren’s arm, letting him know that he’s here, that he's no longer alone. Hux can see the dark blood on Ren’s hands, some pooling underneath him on the floor. Hux glances around, noting that all the objects and furniture in the room are shaking, the walls rattling under the pressure of Ren’s Force powers.

“H-Hux,” Ren manages to look up at him, his eyes puffy and red, “I-I can’t control it. Something's wrong--”

Ren groans before he can finish his sentence. Hux can feel the distress and tension radiating off the trembling body of his omega. “It’s alright, you’ll be alright.” 

Hux leans into Ren but as he lets out a loud groan between gritted teeth, Hux is suddenly pushed back by an invisible hand, thrown abruptly backwards and landing a couple of feet away from Ren. Hux tries to move back to him but he’s restrained by the Force, as though there’s a barrier between him and Ren. The omega moans in agony, the glasses that are sat on the table shatter in an explosive manner, making Hux flinch. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his comlink, adjusting the frequency to the one he'd specified for medical emergencies.

“I need a medical team to my quarters immediately, bring a stretcher.” 

_"Yes, General. Right away!"_

He doesn’t even give an acknowledgement, stuffing the comlink back into his pocket as Ren lets out a sound that’s halfway between a sob and a scream. The walls creak as the table and bedside cabinet fold in on themselves with loud snaps, the glass in the ceiling lights crack and shatter, shards clattering to the floor around them. 

“Kylo,” Hux says in a hushed tone, holding his hands up in a surrendering manner, “ _let me help you._ ”

Ren looks up at him with pleading eyes, letting out a shuddering breath as he tries to calm himself. Hux shuffles closer to him, noting that the invisible barrier is gone. As soon as Hux is by his side, Ren leans on him heavily, his head resting against Hux’s shoulder, his breathing ragged. Ren’s bloodied hand grasps onto of Hux’s sleeve, his fingers wrapping around the fabric tightly, as though Hux is his anchor, his lifeline that he needs to hold onto to survive. 

The door swishes open and four medics rush in, pushing a stretcher in with them. Hux looks down at Ren, who looks as though he’s on the verge of losing consciousness, his eyes glazed and blinking slowly. 

“What’s happened, General?” One of the medics asks, a human woman with short, dark hair and glasses.

“I found him like this. He’s bleeding, though I’m not sure from where,” Hux replies as the other three medics prep the stretcher, messing with the hydraulics of the contraption, lowering it so its ground-level, as they guess that Lord Ren is unable to stand.

“He needs to get to medbay urgently,” the medic says, rolling her white sleeves up. 

Hux agrees, absently thinking that she’s stating the obvious, and shifts Ren’s weight against him. The omega lets out a small whine as Hux moves him, obviously in pain from  _something,_ though Hux is unsure what. He doesn't even want to consider the possibility that something is wrong with their child. Hux manages to get his arm underneath Ren’s knees, and his heart drops as he feels that the underneath of Ren’s trousers are wet and warm. Sliding his other arm around Ren’s shoulders, Hux manages to lift him gently, being thankful that the stretcher has been placed right in front of him, as Ren is relatively heavy. Ren’s head lolls from side to side as Hux places him down on the stretcher as though he’s trying his hardest not to pass out, one of the medics immediately moving to cover him with a blanket. Hux looks down at his sleeve, where Ren’s underneath had come into contact with it. The fabric is covered in blood.  _Ren’s_ blood. He's bleeding internally. 

As quickly as they can be with Ren in such a delicate state, the four medics push the stretcher down to the medical wing, with Hux jogging beside Ren. Halfway down, Hux watches as Ren’s dark eyes close slowly as he finally loses consciousness.

 _Everything’s alright,_ Hux repeats in his mind, unsure of whether he’s trying to calm himself or speak to Ren through their bond. He supposes it doesn’t matter as both of them are in dire need of some reassurance. They reach medbay and Ren’s stretcher is pushed into one of the large examination rooms. Hux tentatively holds back, knowing that he would only get in the way of the medic’s work and he knows that time is of the essence; they needed to know what was wrong with Ren, or with the child. Hux stands with his hands by his sides, his fingers flexing in his gloves. He watches through the small pane of glass that acts as a window into the examination room, observing the medics all four of them rush around Ren, cutting his bloodied robes away from him and attaching wires to his body to monitor his life-signs. With his clothing gone, Hux can see the amount of blood that his omega has lost, dark stains covering the tops of his legs, red droplets dripping down his thighs.

After a tense number of minutes, Hux's breath catches in his throat as he sees one of the medics walk away from Ren and towards the door. She exists and looks at Hux with big eyes.

“What’s wrong with him?” Hux asks, his tone desperate. 

“The child is incredibly distressed, sir. Its heartbeat is fast, it needs to be calmed before...before he miscarries. Lord Ren’s body is trying to cope with the problem, hence why his Force powers have been sent into disarray. We’ve stopped the internal bleeding but he’s…incredibly weak.”

“What do you suggest we do, doctor?” Hux asks, his gaze leaving that of the medic for a second to look through the glass at Ren’s prone form, unmoving in the bed. The three medics that are in the room with him assess his condition, looking up at the machines that are mounted on the wall. They’re attaching a drip to his arm. Hux watches as the needle pierces his arm, breaking the skin. Ren flinches slightly and Hux suppresses his instincts to scold them for hurting his omega.

“We suggest putting Lord Ren under heavy sedation until the child is calm. We…don’t know what damage his unstable Force powers could cause the child  _or_ himself, sir. It’s too much of a risk. Omega pregnancies are one thing but an omega who is as strong with the Dark Side as Lord Renis…that’s a whole different ball game. Putting him under whilst we monitor the child is our best option to keep them both safe, sir.”

Hux nods in understanding. “Do what you must, doctor. But I will speak to him first.”

“Of course, General.”

The medic moves aside and Hux steps past her, entering the examination room. The room is large and white, like the other rooms in medbay, except there are more tools and medical equipment organised around the bed. This room is meant for patients who need to be constantly supervised. Ren looks calmer than he did before though Hux can still sense his pain and discomfort as he steps closer. He bends down a little, leaning in closer to his omega.

“Ren,” Hux whispers, watching as Ren’s eyes flutter open slowly. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Ren replies. He absently moves his hand to his stomach. “Is…is the child safe?”

“The child is stressed,” Hux says, noting the panic that is spreading across Ren’s expression. “Your body tried to deal with it but it knocked your powers out of your control. The medics suggest that you are sedated until the child is calm and its heartbeat becomes less erratic.”

Hux watches as Ren contemplates Hux’s words, his dark eyes scanning Hux’s face. “Yes. Of course.” Ren’s voice is weak. His arm moves out from underneath the blanket, searching for Hux’s. Hux aids him, grasping Ren’s cold hand tightly. “Tell them to do whatever they need to.”

Being fully aware that there are four medics in the room with them but not caring enough to stop himself, Hux brushes Ren’s dark hair from his forehead, leaning down to press his lips against Ren’s in a gentle kiss. Hux notes that Ren barely has the strength to kiss back.

“You heard him,” Hux says as he pulls his lips from Ren’s, addressing the medics, his tone abrupt as though he’s giving orders to his workers on the bridge. “Do what you must.”

Still slightly in awe of seeing their ruthless General act so sentimentally towards the Master of the Knights of Ren, two of the medics step forward and begin to prep the IV, calculating the correct amount of sedative they’d need to keep Ren under and keep the child safe from harm. They've all heard rumours that their General and Kylo Ren are mated but they didn't suppose that the rumours are true. But after witnessing Hux _kiss_ Kylo Ren, they guss that they truly are, indeed, bonded. The medics work quickly and Hux doesn’t watch them, he keeps his eyes locked on Ren’s pale, young face and Ren stares back. They don’t speak, the sound of the medics working behind them is the only noise in the room. But Hux’s mind is loud, loud with the uncertainty of that fate that awaits Ren and their child. 

“The dose has been administered, General,” one of the medics says and Hux watches as, over the next couple of seconds, Ren’s eyes become tired and Ren's grip on his hand weakens. 

“S-stay…with m…e,” Ren whispers as his consciousness is finally lost, his hand going completely limp in Hux’s. 

Ren’s presence in Hux’s mind falls almost silent, which unnerves Hux, as though he’s been completely cut off from Ren’s mind again like he was when Snoke separated them. But Ren is safe this time, on board the  _Finalizer_ and under Hux’s supervision and the careful and professional watch of his medical team. Snoke can't reach them, Snoke can't harm Ren whilst he's here. Both Ren and their child are completely safe, Hux tells himself, repeating this over and over again in his mind, as though there’s a possibility that Ren will hear him.

The medics shuffle as silently as they can out of the room, sensing that their General wants to be left alone. Hux doesn’t let go of Ren’s hand. He holds on tightly, absently looking down at the blood that is smeared all over the sleeve of his jacket in the shape of Ren's handprint. 

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

Hux paces nervously on the bridge, his hands folded and held behind his back. After sitting with his omega in the medical wing for a number of hours and after being told by the medics that Ren’s condition was stable, Hux had supposed that he’d better show his face on the bridge after he’d abruptly left during his shift earlier that morning. But it wouldn’t be long before the cycle ended and he’d be able to go back down to sit with Ren. That’s all that occupies his mind; the health of Ren and their child, making sure that he is vigilantly by Ren’s side. It doesn’t matter to him whether Ren is even  _aware_ that Hux is next to him. Hux couldn’t bear the thought of his mate waking up alone and cold in a strange hospital room.

“Sir,” a young, male officer addresses him from a console behind him. “You might want to see this.”

“What is it, Lieutenant?”

“There’s a substantial number of ships approaching our location. Some have already dropped out of hyperspace.”

He frowns, supposing it’s the Resistance’s Starfighter Corps come back for another round, obviously _still_ on a high from their success of destroying Starkiller.

“Resistance ships?” Hux asks, keeping his calm.

The officer shakes his head. “No, sir. The ones that are visible on our scopes are TIE fighters.” 

Hux is about to question the officer’s integrity and his ability to read the scopes but the  _Finalizer_ is suddenly shaken as the foreign TIE’s begin to fire upon it. 

“Go to High Alert,” Hux orders, “get our own fighters out there, now!” He walks back across the length of the bridge to the viewport as everything turns into organised chaos, his officers bustling around him. As his officers prepare themselves for attack, Hux himself stands in front of the large glass window, assessing the severity of the situation. His eyes scan across the blackness of space, watching as the green lasers from the enemy fighters attempt to penetrate their shields. He’s confident that they will be able to take out the invading ships before they can cause any _real_ damage, but the more damming question in Hux's mind was _why the hell are First Order fighters firing on their own flagship?_ He supposes it’s a rogue faction who have somehow managed to get their hands on a squadron of TIE fighters, and nothing more. This will all be over in a couple of minutes, the _Finazlier_ victorious as it had been in many battles before.

Just as Hux is contemplating victory, his gaze is caught by another ship dropping out of hyperspace in the immediate vicinity of the  _Finalizer._ Hux’s stomach drops, his eyes widening. It's another Star Destroyer, not a  _Resurgent-_ class like his but it's still big; big enough to cause them significant damage.  _What the hell is going on?_ Hux thinks, watching as more TIE’s are released from the hangars of the enemy Destroyer. 

 _“_ Sir, the Star Destroyer has been identified as the  _Subjugate._ It’s locking onto us!"

Hux immediately recognises the name. The ship had just been an idea the last Hux had heard its name; it was to act as a back-up to the  _Finalizer,_ should the Resistance succeed in destroying the Order’s flagship. He had been under the impression that the project had been scrapped. In fact, he distinctly remembers Snoke’s ordering him to cease plans for the construction of the  _Subjugate_ and concentrate all his energy on ensuring that Starkiller was perfected.  _Another deceitful mess,_ Hux thinks, feeling slightly unsurprised that the Supreme Leader had obviously finished the construction of the _Subjugate_ in secret.

“Raise all shields to maximum capacity,” Hux orders, managing to finish his sentence before the  _Subjugate_ fires at the  _Finalizer_ , shaking the bridge extremely intensely. The sound of klaxons engulf the bridge as Hux struggles to stay on his feet. 

“Damage report!” He yells, pacing down the centre of the bridge. His officers look panicked, Hux hides his panic well. 

“The bridge shield is still fully intact but the hull shield has come under the heaviest fire. They’ve destroyed our turbo lasers,” Mitaka informs him.

Hux frowns. Why aren’t they targeting the bridge? Destroying the primary command centre on a ship as large as the  _Finalizer_ is by far the easiest way to take it down, like ripping out the heart, destroying the core. It is possible that the  _Subjugate_ has been taken over by Resistance fighters but Hux brushes this off as being highly unlikely; charging into a battle with no negotiations or opportunities to surrender beforehand is not the Resistance’s way of dealing with things. Whoever is on board and in command of the opposing Star Destroyer are members of the First Order, of this Hux is certain. “Charge the ion canons,” Hux orders and the Lieutenant complies, flicking switches quickly on his console. “Fire!”

He glances out the viewport to see his TIE’s fighting back against the invasion, holding their own against the enemy, whoever it is. But the  _Subjugate_ is holding its own too, more so than Hux would like. He notes shuttles approaching them, recognising them to be the Atmospheric Assault Landers, used primarily for Stormtrooper transport to ground battles.

“Stop those shuttles!” He yells, anticipating the plans of the enemy. The bridge shakes again, ominous rumbling noises coming from underneath them.

“The hull shields have been severely damaged, General! The lateral flight deck has been breached, they're boarding us!”

Suppressing his rising fear, Hux's voice becomes louder. “Get Phasma and all available troopers down there, do  _not_ let any of them get any further!”  

Suddenly, the bright, white lights on the bridge flicker and the sound of the klaxons abruptly stop, leaving the worried chatter of the officers the only noise Hux can hear. 

“General, our systems are being hacked!” A female officer calls out just before the bridge is englufed by red lights, signalling that the ship has been forced into complete lockdown; all doors and control panels are locked and bolted, a security feature that Hux has never actually seen in practice, though they’d never come under fire like this before. The lockdown protocol is initiated to prevent intruders from advancing any further into the ship...so why have their enemies hacked their systems to _activate_ it? 

The sounds of the voices of his officers become distant as Hux’s mind becomes hazy, heavy with a dark presence. His knees become weak and he is forced to hold onto a nearby console to stay standing.

_You have failed, General._

Hux’s chest clenches as he realises who the enemy is, who is commanding the  _Subjugate._  

 _Snoke._ The name burns in Hux’s mind with a venom so poisonous that Hux feels slightly nauseated. The Supreme Leader’s presence in his mind is sinister. 

_Correct, General. You should have known you would not be able to hide Kylo Ren from me. I do not take kindly to having my possessions stolen. Your mistakes will cost you and Kylo dearly._

“Get the  _fucking_  security system back online,  _now!”_ Hux yells, briskly walking down the bridge to Mitaka’s station, his footfalls heavy and aggressive. “Fire everything we’ve got at the  _Subjugate.”_

Mitaka looks confused. “E-everything? Sir, their shields are still--”

“Do it, Lieutenant!” 

Mitaka visibly jumps at how loud Hux shouts at him but he complies with his orders. Feeling slightly afraid of Hux, Mitaka presses buttons on his console, priming all of the canons and lasers that haven’t been destroyed in the onslaught from the  _Subjugate._ Hux turns, watching all of their ammo be deployed onto the  _Subjugate._ He isn't even sure whether Snoke is on board the enemy Destroyer, but his sympathisers are and that's enough for Hux. He wonders what lies the Supreme Leader fed to his fellow officers to make them turn on the _Finalizer_ like this.

 _Ren?_ Hux searches through his mind, attempting to connect to his omega through their bond.  _Can you hear me? You’re safe. I won’t allow anything to happen to you._

But his mind stays completely silent. Ren is too heavily sedated to even sense Hux, let alone compose a reply. But Hux is sure he’d be able to sense if Ren was in danger. He's completely sure…

Suddenly, the bridge is thurst back into the ordinary white lights, all protocols returning to normal. The rumbling that seemed to be coming from the decks below them has stopped and an eerie silence settles over the command bridge. 

“General, their ships are retreating.” 

Hux glances to the viewport, seeing the enemy TIE’s and the  _Subjugate_ moving away from the battlefield. Before he can give any further orders, they jump into hyperspace, leaving the  _Finalizer_ stranded in the middle of space; broken, battered and reeling from such an aggressive ambush. All personnel on the bridge stand completely still, all eyes trained on Hux, waiting for him to speak. But Hux stays silent. There’s something terribly wrong, he can feel it. His mind feels different, there’s a numb pain in the centre of his chest that he can’t help but concentrate on. He has to get down to medbay. He has to check on Ren.

“Compile damage reports. I want to know about every single scratch,” he says and none of his officers answer, they just nod at him, as if they know something he doesn’t, as if they can sense his pain.

Hux leaves the bridge, breaking into a run all the way down to the medical wing, passing injured troopers and officers on his way. He makes a mental note to send medics down here but for now, Ren is his priority. He's sweating and nervous by the time he reaches the medical wing and the scene that he finds startles him. There are bloodied bodies of both medics and Stormtroopers littered across the entirety of the medical wing, with some medics still alive, cowering behind desks and fallen trolleys. There are blaster marks all over the walls and he can distinctively smell burning metal as he steps towards the examination room where Ren is resting. 

The window to the room is smashed but, more notably,  _there’s no door._ Instead, there’s a gaping hole in the wall where the door  _used_ to be and the piece of metal which _used_ to be the door is lying on the floor, with distinct burns seared into the metal, most likely made by some sort of oxy-acetylene cutting torch. He knows this, because it’s what some of _his_ specialist troopers are equipped with when they’re on missions that would involve them forcing themselves through metal. Ren’s room is in complete disarray, with wires from the machines sparking off the walls. 

But all Hux can focus on is the empty bed. 

“No… _no!”_

Snoke had been right; he’s failed.

Hux lays his hand on the mattress. It’s still warm underneath his touch. He’s in agony, yelling as he clenches his fists. Anger and rage consume him and he grasps hold of the metal frame of the bed, tipping it over in sheer outrage as his temper escapes him. The bed clangs as it’s pushed over, the metal hitting the floor hard with a loud bang. Hux stands still in the middle of the ruined room, breathing through his nose, his entire being burning with animosity. Ren is gone, Snoke has taken him. And Hux is weak.

“General.”

A voice from the doorway distracts him. He looks up, seeing Captain Phasma standing in front of him. Her helmet is nowhere to be seen so Hux can see her face; she looks exhausted, dried blood trailing down from her nose. Her usually-polished armour is covered in scratches and splatters of blood, her bare hand holds a blaster wound on her left shoulder. 

“It was Snoke, Phasma,” Hux says, stepping closer to her. “It was his sympathisers. They’ve taken him.”

Phasma drops her gaze to the floor. “I know.”

Hux frowns, feeling both confused and angry at Phasma's reply. “You _know_?”

“My troops and I were under heavy fire in the lateral hangar when I…I saw four officers carrying Lord Ren’s stretcher onto one of their docked shuttles. Forgive me, General. I was wounded before I could reach him.”

Her head inclines to her bleeding shoulder and Hux supposes he can forgive her. He knows she would have put up a brave fight against the enemy. Hux runs his hands through his red hair, brushing back the strands that have fallen into his face. He needs to calm himself, he needs to expell the rage that is consuming his mind, he needs to think strategically about his next move. First, he needs to know what his opitions are.

“How much damage did we take?”

“A significant number of my men have been lost. I haven’t tallied the number of deaths yet but I’m sure it’s high. We weren’t ready for an ambush like that. I’ve heard from one of your Lieutenants that the hyperdrive has been partially damaged and will need to be repaired, as do a proportion of the shield generators. The turbo lasers are completely destroyed as well as the starboard ion canons.” She looks at Hux with sorrowful eyes. “I’m sorry, General. We’re going to need time to recover before we can go after them.”

Hux sighs. Waiting around and licking their wounds definitely isn’t an option. 

“What’s our next move?” Phasma asks.

“The  _Finalizer_ will remain here for essential repairs,” he replies and Phasma nods in agreement, “but  _I_ am going after Ren.”

He sweeps past her, walking into the foyer of the medical wing where the surviving medics are attempting to restore order to their department. Hux would usually praise them for their efficiency if he wasn’t so focussed on other things. Phasma walks briskly behind him.

“Listen to reason, General. The odds are against you! This is not the logical move!”

He ignores her, and continues walking. 

“ _Hux!”_

He halts abruptly. In all the years they’d known each other, Hux has never _once_ heard Phasma use his _just_ his name. She is always incredibly professional, calling him by his title, even in the informal situations that didn’t require it. He turns slowly to face her, seeing her expression halfway between sorrow and anger. She steps closer to him, standing inches away from him.

“This is a _trap!_ Snoke will be expecting you to run in there, all guns blazing to save Lord Ren.”

Hux nods slowly. “I know.”

Phasma closes her mouth, realising that Hux is completely aware of the risks of travelling to Snoke's citadel, he’s fully aware that the odds of both of them coming back alive are incredibly low. But he’s going anyway, even if there’s a small chance that he’d be successful. He's probably already ran the statistics in his mind, calculating the strategy that will ensure success. Phasma stares at him. There's a power in his green eyes that she's never seen before. Hux isn't just a pencil-pusher like some of his subordinates believed, and she feels as though people forget this sometimes. This is the man, the _General_ , who’d designed Starkiller Base, given the order for the _entire_ Hosnian system to be destroyed, taking billions of lives with it; he isn't to be underestimated and Phasma knows this all too well. If there's anyone who stands a chance of bringing down Snoke and saving Ren, it’s Hux. Besides, she thinks to herself, she’s seen the way General Hux is around Lord Ren. A master strategist and a fearless warrior who _melt_ in each other’s presence.

She bites her lip, supressing a smile. "But you know that Kylo would do the same for you." 

Hux has never heard Phasma use Ren’s name either but, somehow, using his first name carries more weight, as though he’s no longer just her superior. As though getting Kylo back to Hux _matters_ to her.

“I’ll gather what troops I can and prep the Imperial shuttle for our departure. We’ll be waiting for you in the hangar. General.”

Before Hux can argue about her wanting to join him, she’s marched past him, her singed cape flapping behind her. Hux allows his lips to curve into a slight smile. Phasma’s loyalty to _him_ is admirable, he thinks. He isn't sure he deserves it but he doesn't have time for any sort of pessimistic thought that would distract him from his objective. Ren is in terrible danger and Hux has to get to him before Snoke causes Ren, or their child, any pain. Hux leaves the medical wing and walks to his quarters to retrieve his blaster. It’s been a number of years since he’d even _held_ the weapon, never mind used it in battle, but he hopes that its first shot would be the one to end Snoke’s life. Once he’s in his quarters, he reaches underneath his bed and pulls out the steel box which holds his blaster. It's the officer’s edition of the standard Stormtrooper sidearm, but a little more compact, as Hux can wield it with one hand. It's black, with the trigger of the weapon being coded to his fingerprint for his use only. He pulls it out of the box, his fingers slipping into the grooves of the handle. He slips it into the holster on his belt and stands up, pushing the box back under the bed with the toe of his boot. He stands up, glancing around his quarters before he walks towards the door. He and Ren would be sleeping in here again soon, he knows it.

Hux walks down to the hangar to meet Phasma and her group of Stormtroopers with one thought in his mind. He’s going to return to the _Finalizer_ completely victorious; with Ren in his arms and Snoke’s head as his prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you they wouldn't be together for long! But Hux's is on a fucking mission to get Kylo back for good so don't panic... Trust me. ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!  
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness of this update! I've got my BSc dissertation due in this coming Friday and I've still got so much to do, but clearly this took priority because, honestly, this is so much more interesting to write about.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is about 12,000 words long so hopefully that makes up for it! I hope you enjoy this!

Never in his life has Kylo woken up feeling so generally unwell. He struggles to open his eyes, fearing that the bright lights of the room he's in will only add to the pounding in his head. As soon as Kylo feels as though his consciousness has fully returned to him, he feels his chest constrict as though someone has placed something immensely heavy on top of him. He puts it down to panic and steadies his breathing as much as he can. He attempts to move his limbs but finds that his movements are restricted by straps around his wrists and his ankles that cut into his skin as he struggles against them, realising that he’s only wearing loose black trousers. Suddenly, he becomes aware that the surface he’s lying on is cold and hard, not like the warm bed on the  _Finalizer_ where he’d been when he’d last been awake. 

_Where am I?_

Forcing his eyelids open, he finds himself staring at an eerily familiar ceiling: the examination room that he’d escaped from in Snoke’s citadel. 

_No…! I can’t--I shouldn’t be here! Hux? Hux!_

When his mind stays completely silent, Kylo begins to panic. He lifts his head as much as he can manage in his weakened state and finds himself relaxing slightly when he sees the bulge of his stomach. As long as he has air in his lungs, Kylo knows he’ll fight to the death for his child, and for Hux, wherever his alpha is. Probably back on board the  _Finalizer,_ strategizing a way of getting Kylo back…Kylo hopes so, anyway. He hopes that Hux hasn’t been harmed in any way. He attempts to cast his mind back over the events that led him to being put back into Snoke’s fortress but his mind is foggy and his headache only worsenes when he attempts to think about how he got here. But he remembers….he was in the medical wing on the  _Finalizer,_ and Hux had told him that he needed to be sedated until their child was safe and calm. Kylo had agreed, of course, and that is the last thing he remembers. He looks down at his left arm, noting that there’s still an IV inserted into his skin, administering some unknown chemicals into his body, no doubt. 

“I should have known you would lie to me, boy.”

Kylo turns his head to the right to the origin of the dark voice that he knows too well, seeing Snoke emerge from one of the corners of the room, leaning heavily on a thick, crooked walking stick. He’s limping too, more so than the old creature normally does, and Kylo supposes he had managed to injure Snoke quite significantly when he’d Force-pushed him down the marble staircase. Kylo doesn’t reply to him, he simply sneers at his Master, or  _former_ Master, at this point; Kylo isn’t so sure where he stands. 

“I probed your mind whilst you were unconscious. I know that the child belongs to your precious General.” Snoke stands alarmingly close to the table where Kylo lies, his cold eyes locked with Kylo’s. “But this is of no importance, as General Hux is dead.”

Kylo feels a pain shoot through his chest, his mind attempting to process what Snoke has just said.

He shakes his head, “you’re lying. Hux isn’t dead. He can’t be.”

“Search your feelings, Kylo. The  _Finalizer_  was destroyed in the battle against the  _Subjugate_ to retrieve you, my boy. Like the noble and idiotic man he was, General Hux chose to go down with his ship.”

Kylo’s heart pounds wildly in his chest, his hands shaking as his fists clench. “No…it’s not  _true_.” When he tries to reach out using the Force, he finds his powers are being subdued, most likely by Snoke. Instead, he focusses on their bond and, desperately, Kylo calls out to Hux, though he can barely think through his pounding headache.

_Hux? Tell me you’re alive, tell me you’re safe…..Hux! Answer me!_

But his mind stays eerily silent. 

Kylo begins to struggle against the restraints around his wrists and his ankles, attempting to pull free from them whilst tears fill his eyes. Hux can’t be dead. Kylo would know, he would’ve felt it, he would’ve felt Hux’s last breath leave his body….unless…Kylo had been so heavily sedated that his mind had been completely cut off from Hux’s, so disconnected that he wouldn’t have felt Hux’s passing.

"No!” Kylo arches his back off the table, only to see Snoke raise his hand into the air, slamming Kylo’s weakened body back down to hit the table hard. He groans, feeling the pain radiate through his lower back.

“You should have known that running from me was futile. I have known from the day that I first discovered you were an omega that  _I_ am your true alpha. Surely you know this too, Kylo.” Snoke moves his hand towards Kylo’s stomach and the entirety of Kylo’s body tenses. He makes a sound that’s extremely close to a growl, ripped gutturally from his throat.

“Don’t,” Kylo warns but Snoke ignores him and places his cold palm on top of Kylo’s stomach.

Twisting awkwardly on the hard table, Kylo attempts to move away from Snoke’s touch but the restrains are too strong and he’s too weak. Snoke exhales through his nose for a couple of seconds, his thumb moving up and down across Kylo’s stomach. Kylo feels sick, trying to ignore Snoke’s touch.

“I can feel the child’s power. She will be very strong with the Force.”

 _She._ Kylo knows it’s a girl, he’d been able to sense it early on in his pregnancy. He recalls teasing Hux about the sex of their child a couple of months ago, as Hux had been absolutely adamant that he didn’t want to know whether they were going to have a boy or a girl; that he’d be happy with either but Kylo didn’t want to wait to find out. Absently, he recalls Hux calling him ‘ _an impatient omega’_ on numerous different occasions and Kylo realises that Hux was definitely right about that.

_Hux…_

“You will deliver the child here, Kylo, seeing as your  _noble_  General is no longer with us to take care of you.” Snoke moves his hand off Kylo’s stomach and takes a step back, leaning heavily on his walking stick. “Your child will be the price of your deceitfulness. She will be raised as my newest apprentice, seeing as  _you_ have been such a disappointment. You will remain here, of course, imprisoned for your treacherous crimes against the Supreme Leader, for the rest of your miserable life.”

Kylo doesn’t reply. He’s not even sure if he can. Hyperventilating as panic engulfs his mind and body, and he twists against the restraints, feeling completely helpless. Instead of screaming, he focusses all of his remaining energy on strengthening his mind, making sure he can successfully call out to Hux, believing that Hux is still alive somewhere and on his way to rescue him from Snoke’s evil plans. 

_Hux! You can’t be dead! She needs you. You have to save her. I-I can’t…I’m—_

The words begin to fall away in his mind as his eyes begin to feel incredibly drowsy. He looks to his left, seeing an old-looking female medic tampering with his IV line. 

“H…ux,” he says before his consciousness leaves him, his head falling to the side slowly. 

/////////////////////////////

 Snoke scowls as he hears Kylo whisper Hux’s name one final time before he passes out. He stands and watches as Kylo’s dark,  _emotional_ eyes slip shut, his body falling under the influence of the sedatives. He looms over the omega for a second, pondering over where he’d gone wrong in the boy’s training for him to develop such a strong bond with that cursed General. Hux is nothing special, he's entirely replaceable. Snoke is fully aware of the fact that Hux is still alive and kicking, but if his last attempt at making Ren  _his_ omega is going to be successful, he needs Kylo as broken as possible, broken even beyond Hux’s repair. He’ll reduce Kylo down to nothing, strip everything away from him. First, he’ll limit Kylo’s use of the Force. He’s confident he’s stronger than Kylo, he'll be able to limit his connection to both the Dark Side and the Light, which will no doubt weaken the omega immensely. Second, he supposes he’s already taken General Hux from him, but should the General decide to come here to attempt to take back Kylo, Snoke will dispose of him again, but more painfully this time. Finally, Snoke decides he will take Kylo’s daughter away from him, allowing him no contact with her once she's born. With absolutely nothing left, Snoke knows Kylo would have to turn back to him, his omega biology would force him to. 

But Snoke wouldn’t take him on so easily.

He’d keep Kylo locked away somewhere in his citadel, limiting his contact with anyone. He’d never see his daughter, Snoke would have the child raised appropriately until she was the correct age for her to begin her Dark Side training as his new weapon. Snoke had presumed that she’d be relatively strong with the Force, considering Kylo Ren is one of her parents, but the mundane General was as Force-sensitive as a dead womp rat so Snoke could say he’d been fairly surprised when he’d sensed such potential in Kylo’s and Hux’s unborn child. 

He steps closer to Kylo, his gaze locked on the light pink scar that he adorns on his pale face. He places his hand over Kylo’s closed eyes and summons forth the power of the Dark Side. He enters Kylo’s mind forcefully, watching as the omega’s body shifts under the unwanted intrusion in his mind, a quiet moan escaping his slightly-parted lips. He locates the flickering light in Kylo’s mind, his bond with Hux, and engulfs it in the darkness, extinguishing its tiny flame. Though he couldn’t kill the bond completely, Snoke is satisfied that Kylo and Hux will no longer be able to sense each other, and he could do whatever he so wishes with Kylo and Hux wouldn’t know. And vice-versa.

He pulls his hand away from Kylo’s closed eyes, noting that the omega’s face is no longer as relaxed as it was before. Kylo’s eyes are scrunched closed as though he’s in discomfort. Snoke smirks. He supposes the omega is in great distress from being cut off from his mate, as is the General, wherever he may be. 

"You are mine, Kylo Ren. You have always belonged to me. I created you. Nothing could ever alter this fact, not even your precious General Hux. He will get what he deserves. Death will be waiting for him when he arrives."

///////////////////////////////

Hux supposes there’s a certain irony in flying back to Snoke’s citadel on the modified Imperial _Lamdba-_ class shuttle that Ren had stolen. He’d been impressed with the speed at which Phasma had gathered her best troopers and prepared the shuttle for departure. Hux has to admit that he feels a little guilty leaving the  _Finalizer_ and his crew to their repairs without his supervision but he’s sure that his crew would understand his reasons for leaving.  

The shuttle flies at light speed towards Snoke’s citadel, its coordinates still located in the ship’s memory bank from when the physicians had used it, before Ren had stolen it. Two troopers sit in the cockpit, piloting the shuttle whilst Phasma and nine of her best fighters sit in the back. Hux paces across the length of the ship, his hands folded neatly behind his back, as though he were simply assessing the performances of his workers on the bridge of the  _Finalizer_. 

“You’re making me nervous,” Phasma says, watching the General pace through the visor of her chrome helmet. 

“It helps me to think,” he replies, making no effort to cease his pacing.  _And it helps me to stay calm,_ he thinks but he would never admit it. His entire demeanour and presence on the bridge would change if he were to make it common knowledge that the cold and sour General Hux has a nervous pace. Somehow, keeping his body moving kept his mind moving too, and he needs to ensure his mind is completely focussed to deal with the trap that they’re no doubt walking straight into. But Hux has to take the risk, he'd never be able to forgive himself if he'd wasted any more time on the Finalizer when Ren was probably already back within the high walls of Snoke's citadel. He tries not to think of what Snoke is doing to his omega, his anger will only cloud his mind. 

"What's our plan, General?" Phasma asks, making Hux stop in front of her. 

He turns to face her. He'll admit to himself that there's a tad of doubt in his mind, a voice that's telling him they're going to fail. Including himself, there are 13 of them who plan to storm into Snoke's fortress and rescue Ren, and somehow escape with their lives intact. For all Hux knew, Snoke could have turned the entire Order against him by now and could have an entire battalion of stormtroopers waiting for them.  

"One of the pilots will remain on the ship once we've landed whilst I lead the rest of you into the fortress. Once we’re inside, we’ll need to search quickly for Ren and get him out as quickly as possible, though I don’t know where Snoke will be holding him."

"What about element of surprise?" Phasma tips her head to the side slightly.

"It would be pointless to plan such an attack,” Hux says, “Snoke will sense us before we've even entered the planet's atmosphere." Hux has guessed that the Supreme Leader knows that he's coming; one wouldn't have to be Force-sensitive to know that Hux would go barrelling after Ren after he'd been taken from him. Any alpha would do the same for their mate.

Hux suddenly feels a pain in the back of his head, and he can't help but groan. He moves his head up to where the pain is radiating from, grasping his hair between his fingers.

"Sir?" Phasma says, standing up from her seat and approaching him, obviously noting that Hux has paled.

”I'm alright," he replies, holding his hand up. "It's Ren. He's awake."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Hux shakes his head. "He...he can't feel me." Strangely, the bond feels very one-way, as though he can sense Ren but Ren can't sense him. It's incredibly unnerving. Hux guesses that Snoke is doing something to Ren, suppressing his use of the Force and stopping him from sensing Hux.

Hux hears Kylo's voice in his mind, crying out desperately.

_Hux? Tell me you’re alive, tell me you’re safe…..Hux! Answer me!_

_I'm here, Ren! I'm coming for you. It's alright, just hold on._

ButRen's pain doesn't ease. In fact, it gets worse. Hux's mind is on fire, burning as the worst of Ren's distress hits him. It's overwhelming, feeling his mate in such pain and not being able to comfort him. It isn't Ren's physical pain he could sense, Hux knows what that feels like, he'd sensed his omega's hurt when he'd found him bleeding in agony on the floor of their quarters a couple of days ago. This  _feels_  different; an emotional kind of pain. Snoke has to be manipulating him, Hux knows this much. 

Hux finds himself having to throw his clenched fists up to his temples as Ren's distress becomes unbearable. 

_Hux! You can't be dead...you can't. She needs you. You have to save her. I can't .. I'm..._

And suddenly Kylo's presence is completely gone, ripped from his mind, leaving his head completely numb and silent. He blinks slowly, feeling his hand shake as he lowers his hands from his head. Phasma is suddenly next to him, her voice sounding distant.

"General? What is it?" 

Hux doesn't look up, he stares vacantly at the floor. "He's gone. I-I can't--" 

Hux feels as though he can no longer hold onto his consciousness and it slips from him, his knees buckling beneath him and he falls into Phasma's arms.

//////////////////////////////////

Despite being awake, Kylo doesn't want to open his eyes. He doesn't want to see where he's been moved to; he's no longer lying on a hard examination table but on a relatively soft mattress, his head cushioned by flat pillow. Faintly, he can hear the sounds of people talking and beeping of a lifesign machine keeping careful track of his heartbeat but he ignores them. The only sound he wants to hear is Hux's voice, but there's a huge part of him that believes he'll never hear Hux’s voice again.

Deciding he should probably assess his situation, Kylo opens his eyes slowly, finding he's in a white, sterile room. The smell of bacta is almost overwhelming. The bed he's lying on is in the centre of the room, with trolleys of medical equipment next to him. He attempts to move, but finds his arms are still strapped down to the bed. He supposes the restraints are still around his ankles too but as he attempts to move his legs, he realises he can't feel anything from the waist downwards, he’s completely numb. He lifts his head, seeing that he's dressed in a thin, light-blue gown. Medics dressed in white clothing as bustling in and out of the room, speaking inaudibly so Kylo can't make out what they're saying. He takes particular notice of two medics who are pushing something into the room, a small incubator.

Kylo realises what they're going to do; they mean to deliver the child now, despite him not being full-term.

Kylo can't help the panic rising in him. He doesn't want to do this without Hux by his side. Hux  _has_  to be here for the birth. He pulls against the restrains on his arms and attempts to use the Force to help him escape but the ability to use his powers escapes him, somehow. As though someone is suppressing his connection to the Force.  

“If you wish to stay awake for this, I suggest you calm yourself, Kylo.” Snoke comes into his eyeline, glaring down at him. “I could have you put back to sleep but the procedure will be easier if your body is alert. Disobey me and you will be punished.”

Kylo wonders how else Snoke can punish him, he wonders what else he could possibly take away from him should Kylo choose to ignore his orders. But as his gaze drifts down to the bulge of his stomach, Kylo does as Snoke wishes and stops his struggles, not wanting to put his child in harm’s way as a result of his rebelliousness. He's already lost Hux...hasn't he?

Kylo swallows hard, his mouth incredibly dry. "Is...is Hux dead?" The words sound strange in his mouth, as though he can’t really believe if he’s just needed to ask. He looks up at Snoke, the creature's expression completely neutral.

"I have never lied to you, boy. I have only ever shown you the truth." Kylo's heart drops. "Search your mind, my boy. If your General is truly dead,  _you_  will know." 

Kylo feels his world implode. His mind is silent and numb, with no trace that Hux was ever there. He turns his head away from Snoke, not wanting to show how distraught he feels. He wants to scream, to rip apart the entire galaxy for taking Hux from him. He knows Snoke is entirely to blame but he attempts to keep those kind of thoughts in check, knowing that the Supreme Leader is monitoring his thoughts. Kylo closes his eyes slowly, a singer tear dripping down his cheek.

"You may begin," he hears Snoke say and hears a handful of the medics and a couple of droids gather around him, hearing the clinking of apparatus as they prepare for the operation. 

Kylo doesn't look up, he keeps his head turned to the side and tries to concentrate on his breathing, needing something other than his loss to focus on, but his mind drifts, being unable to focus on anything  _but_  the fact that his alpha is dead. It isn't supposed to be like this; Kylo had sat in bed one night in their quarters on the  _Finalizer,_  watching Hux sitting at his desk and meticulously planning out Kylo's birthing procedure, right down to the smallest detail with all outcomes and potential problems accounted for. 

Except for the problem where Kylo would be taken from him and forced to deliver alone. 

Kylo had felt safe and relaxed about delivering their child on board the  _Finalizer_ , knowing that he'd be able to draw on Hux's strength should he find himself struggling and knowing that hearing Hux’s calming voice would mean he’d been alright.

Now, he's completely alone.

He recalls stories he’s heard about the way his grandmother had passed away just a little while after she'd given birth to her children. Supposedly, Padmé had lost the will to live after learning that she'd lost her husband, Anakin, to the Dark Side. Kylo, of all people, knows that turning to the Dark Side implies that the person who existed before the turn ‘died’ to make way for the new dark persona, so he guessed that Anakin Skywalker’s death had been enough to destroy Padmé Amidala, that losing her alpha had been too much for Padmé's weakened state to handle. Kylo has always believed that this wasn't the true version of what happened, that the tale had been altered over the decades of retelling across the galaxy. He never truly believed that losing a loved one, or rather, losing your alpha, would cause a person to want to die, especially just after delivering a child but as he lies here, delivering his child and knowing that he's lost Hux, that he's never going to see his alpha again, he thinks that there's a high possibility he's going to follow in his grandmother's footsteps. 

He turns his head so he's staring up at the ceiling, feeling tears fall from the corners of his eyes. Snoke is still standing next to him, just out of Kylo's eyeline, silently watching over the procedure. Kylo just wants this to be over, he just wants to be on his own for a while instead of being surrounding by unfamiliar faces that look at him as though he’s not human. He’s aware of that fact that his reputation as Master of the Knights of Ren and as Snoke’s reckless apprentice probably precedes him. These people are most likely aware of what he’s done _and_ what he’s capable of doing but Kylo supposes he doesn’t look so intimidating now; lying half-numb and  _crying_ whilst delivering the child that belongs to the highest ranking General of the First Order.

His thoughts are distracted as he feels an odd, uncomfortable tugging sensation in his stomach and he grits his teeth. But then, he suddenly feels a small warmth spread throughout his cold and numb mind, stopping his tears. Kylo has never been one for believing in the concept of hope, but its consuming his mind as he hears the cries of his newborn baby. 

He casts his eyes downwards to see his child being cleaned and wrapped in a white towel by a human female medic. He's desperate to see her. After all, she’s all he’s got left of Hux. The medic cradles her in her arms, moving closer towards Kylo. She crouches down slowly as the child's crying settles down. When the face of his newborn daughter comes into his view, Kylo can't help but let out a sob, unbelieving of how small and how beautiful she is, with her tiny hands and her little patch of red hair. Not that he'll ever admit it, but Kylo has sincerely wished that she would have Hux's glorious red hair. He pulls at the straps around his wrists, wanting to desperately hold her.

"That is enough," Snoke says, disrupting the silence in the room, and the medic seemingly hesitates to move away from Kylo. She slowly looks up at Kylo with sad blue eyes.

"What?" Kylo says as the medic moves her away from him, taking his daughter completely out of his sight. "No, wait, please, let me touch her!"

"Put him under," Snoke says as Kylo begins to thrash as much as he can against the restraints and with a numb body. He sees another medic approach him and begins to do something to his IV line. 

"No,  _please!”_ But his pleas are completely ignored and it doesn't take long for the drugs to take him. 

_Hux...she's beautiful._

//////////////////////////////////

Even the mornings after he’s drank himself into oblivion, Hux has never woken up with a headache like this. Groggily, he opens his eyes, realising he’s been placed on one of the small bunks in the back of the shuttle, his greatcoat spread over his body like a blanket.

“General,” a voice says from next to him and he turns his head, seeing Phasma kneeling next to him, her helmet removed. She looks down at him, a little worry in her usually-stoic expression. “How are you feeling?”

“Quite unwell,” he replies and pushes himself up. He sits up slowly, turning to he can lean against the wall. “What happened?”

Phasma sits back a little, handing him a canteen of water. “You turned quite pale all of a sudden and then said something about Ren being ‘gone’. Then you passed out.”

Hux drinks from the canteen, feeling a little less dizzy as he swallows the cold water. He rubs his forehead with the back of his ungloved hand, realising that Phasma must have removed them when she no doubt carried him to the bunk. He casts his mind back, attempting to remember what he’d felt in the moments before he’d passed out. He’d felt Ren’s distress and then suddenly…nothing. Even now, his mind was absolutely silent. The very first explanation that crosses Hux’s mind is that Ren is dead, but he quickly realises that Snoke wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble with the  _Subjugate_ just to murder Ren once he was back within the private walls of his citadel. There must be another explanation. Hux thinks hard, trying to piece together what he knows. It's entirely possible that Snoke is simply keeping Ren heavily sedated but then again, Ren had been sedated on the  _Finalizer_ and Hux hadn’t felt like this then, so he casts that explanation aside. The most plausible thing he can come up with is that Snoke is manipulating Ren’s mind, preventing them from being in contact with one another, some Force trickery that would keep their bond under Snoke’s control. 

Another thought crosses his mind rather suddenly as he recalls Ren’s last words to him. 

 _‘She needs you,’_ Ren’s voice in his mind had said, ‘ _you have to save her’._

Female pronouns.  _We’re having a girl?_  Hux thinks, remembering the night when Ren had taken too much pleasure in teasing Hux about the sex of their child. Hux hadn’t wanted to know but Ren, obviously feeling in the mood to be mischievous and frivolous, had teased him about it being a girl. Of course, Hux hadn’t believed him; Hux had just thought that it was just another one of Ren’s childish games, that Ren would actually respect Hux’s wishes and  _not_ reveal the sex of their child to him. Hux allows himself to smile a little, but it fades quickly, remembering where Ren and his unborn  _daughter_ currently are. 

“How long until we reach Snoke’s planet?” He asks, wondering how much time he has to recover.

“About 15 minutes.” Hux’s eyes widen, obviously not expecting that answer. Phasma continues, “You’ve been out cold for _hours_ , General.”

Hux doesn't want to think about how long he’d actually been unconscious for. He’s lost valuable planning time and he doubts whether he can shift the pounding in his head in 15 minutes before he needs to have a completely clear and focussed mind on the task at hand. But just as he’s attempting to calm himself, he feels a warmth spread faintly across his mind. He wonders if its Ren, somehow managed to break through Snoke’s control, but the warmth feels different, it’s not Ren’s presence. He closes his eyes, focussing on what this new warmth could possibly be.

“Hux? What’s wrong?” Phasma asks.

“I’m alright,” he replies, opening his eyes again slowly when he realises what the warmth is. “Ren has had our child.” He looks up at Phasma, who is looking rather confused. “I can feel it.”

“Is it alright? I mean, is it safe? Is Ren safe?”               

“I…don’t know,” Hux says, feeling incredibly downhearted that he wasn’t by Ren’s side whilst their child, their  _daughter,_  was brought into the galaxy. He wasn’t able to support Ren through the delivery, they weren’t able to share the moment together. Snoke had taken that from them too, but Hux is going to make him pay, for everything. 

He stands up, pulling his greatcoat on as he moves. His knees still feel relatively weak but he’ll manage. Phasma stands with him, handing him his black gloves and he pulls them on. She follows him into the main area of the shuttle where the troopers have remained seated for the duration of their journey. 

“General,” one of the pilots says from the cockpit, “we’re just about to begin our descent.”

Hux looks out of the viewport, seeing them approaching the little blue planet that held Snoke’s fortress. “You have the coordinates to land?”

“Yes, sir. The previous owners of the ship still had then inputted into the system when Lord Ren stole it.”

Hux nods and walks back to his seat, seeing that Phasma has already sat down. He lowers himself into the seat and folds his gloved hands in his lap, trying to concentrate on his task, but his mind is distracted. He can’t help but imagine the torture that Snoke could be putting Ren and their child through. With their bond restricted, Hux is almost _sure_ Snoke is causing Ren some sort of pain, physical or otherwise. But he and Ren will be reunited again soon, Hux knows this much. But under what circumstances they’d meet again, Hux is unsure, though he tries to ignore the nagging thought that he’s going to happen upon Ren’s corpse when he arrives. The entire galaxy would pay if Ren had been taken from him.

The ship descends rather quickly, but their ride is incredibly bumpy, as a storm rages across the ocean surrounding the tiny island that holds Snoke’s citadel. Hux involuntarily clenches his fists, remembering the last time he was here. Hux orders the pilots to land relatively, and rather uncomfortably, close to the fortress. After all, the ship would need to be right  _there_ if they needed to make a quick getaway, not that Hux planned on running away from Snoke. He needed to face him, rip the bastard’s head from his body for all the suffering he's put Ren through. 

Hux stands up, adjusting his coat to sit properly on his shoulders. His squad remain seated, knowing that their General is about to give them orders. 

“There are seven floors within the fortress, with the only room on the seventh floor being the throne room, so there are six floors that need to be searched. The quickest way we can do so is to split up. There are twelve of us, therefore we will split into pairs and take one floor each. Should you find Lord Ren before I do, you are to contact me immediately, regardless of…the state he is in. Is that clear?” 

A chorus of “ _yes, sir”_ echoes across the shuttle and Hux is satisfied that these troopers, and Phasma, will not let him down. 

“Good,” he says, “one of you grab the detonators and follow me.” 

The bottom hatch of the shuttle opens slowly, the harsh wind hitting Hux as soon as he begins to walk down the ramp. His long coat flaps against his legs, his red hair being forced out of its neat arrangement. He walks a couple of meters away from the ship and the trooper carrying the box of thermal detonators stands next to him, awaiting his orders. He looks up at the blast doors, and they do not open as he stands in front of them, unlike they had done when he and Ren has last been here together, not that Hux had expected the Supreme Leader to make it so easy for him to get in.

“Set the detonators and get back,” Hux says to the trooper, his tone low. 

He steps back inside the shuttle whilst the trooper sticks the charges to the reinforced material of the doors. Once the trooper is back on board their shuttle, he activates the detonators, and the shuttle shakes slightly as the explosion goes off with a hideously loud bang. Snoke definitely knows they’re here now, if he didn’t already. Hux holds his arm out when a trooper moves to leave the ship, stopping him mid-step. Hux knows that it’s entirely possible that Snoke has acquired his own army of Stormtroopers, seeing as he’d somehow managed to get his hands on the  _Subjugate._ Hux imagines that such army would be waiting for them on the other side of the door, waiting to rush out once they knew that Hux had arrived, open firing on him and his squad. But he hears nothing. He makes his way carefully down the ramp, his blaster gripped tightly in his left hand. A significant hole has been blown into the centre of the blast doors, rubble and debris lying on the ground around him. Hux advances forward slowly, hearing his squad following behind him, minus the one pilot who is staying with their ship. Climbing across the fallen debris, Hux steps inside the fortress, recalling how much its interior looks like that of the  _Finalizer_ with its grey walls and grey floors. Phasma falls into step beside Hux, her blaster held in her hand, ready to fire if need be. The other ten Stormtroopers make a small perimeter around them as they all walk briskly down the long, empty corridor towards the grand marble staircase at the opposite end. Hux recalls what he'd seen in Ren's dream a couple of months ago, where Snoke was standing above Ren's tired and beaten body on the stairs, telling the omega that Hux didn't care about him, that the child was what mattered. Absently, Hux questions whether Snoke even knows that the child isn't his, that she belongs to Hux.

As they begin to ascend the stairs and break off into their designated pairs, Hux finds his focus fading. He’s been in his professional mind-set for too long, thinking of nothing but strategy and the mission at hand. He suddenly feels overwhelmed by the possibility that he isn't going to find Ren alive. Not only that, but he also has to locate their daughter, presuming that she is still inside the high walls of the fortress and she hasn’t been taken away by any of Snoke’s sympathisers. Hux and his accompanying trooper, FT-3189, walk down the corridor of the sixth floor, the floor which Hux had half-carried Ren to when he’d left him here all those months ago. The first door they come to is the room which Snoke had assigned Ren's quarters to but Hux finds himself wondering for how long Ren had slept in here for, whether Snoke had him put in a cage after Hux had left. To Hux’s dismay, the door is locked, but that’s nothing a blaster shot won’t solve. He grabs his out of its holster on his belt and aims it at the keypad, pressing the trigger and watching as the controls explode, whisps of smoke filling the air. The door swishes open and Hux is immediately hit with Ren’s scent. He walks into the room slowly, guessing that Snoke may have rigged some of the rooms with traps, but all care for his own safety disappears when he sees the state of the room that Hux had once abandoned Ren in. Both the walls and the floor are covered in old scathes from Ren’s lightsaber, with the dresser being in numerous different pieces and clothes spread untidily across the floor. He looks over to the bed, recalling how Ren had passed out on it only minutes after Snoke had attempted to take their growing child away from them…and then Hux had walked away from him, leaving his omega to further torture by the Supreme Leader’s hand. 

Before Hux and his trooper can move onto the next room, Hux’s commlink beeps in his pocket. He fumbles for it, not being able to answer it quickly enough. 

“Yes?” He says in a desperate tone, holding it close to his mouth.

It’s Phasma. “We’ve found him, sir. On the fifth floor, fourth room down.”

Hux doesn’t reply, he’s already running down the stairs to the floor below. As he runs down the corridor to the door where Phasma and her trooper are stood, the strong smell of bacta hits him suddenly, adding to his headache but he ignores it, his mind focussed on only one thing. Slowing into a jog when he gets closer, Hux is unable to control his erratic heartbeat or his shaking hands. He brushes past Phasma and enters the room, his heart sinking in his chest.

The room is not unlike those found in the medical wing of the  _Finalizer,_ with its white walls and mounted medical equipment on the walls. Hux can’t draw his eyes from the still form of his mate in the bed in the centre of the room, the bed pushed back against the far wall. Hux walks closer, absently taking note of the beeping of the various machinery, informing him that his mate _is_ alive, despite his unmoving body and pale skin. But as he listens closer, he notices how alarmingly slow Ren’s heartbeat is, as though it would eventually slow to a stop. He looks at the curve of Ren’s stomach, not as prominent as it had been when Hux had last seen him. Ren has definitely delivered their child then, though she isn't being kept in the same room as her father. Hux comes to a halt next to the bed, staring down at Ren’s young, pale face. He sits down gently on the mattress, pulling off his gloves and takes Ren’s hand between both of his, enveloping Ren’s cold hand in his warm palms.  

“Ren,” Hux says, rubbing his thumb over the omega’s knuckles. He doesn’t stir. Hux moves one of his hands to Ren’s face, brushing aside wayward strands of dark hair. “Kylo, wake up."

Ren’s head moves into Hux’s touch, a weak moan escaping his lips. 

“Open your eyes,” Hux pleads as he holds Ren’s cheek. He’d expected Ren to be completely sedated, not just left alone in a room to his own devices. 

“H…ux…is dead,” Ren whispers, his eyes staying closed.

Hux sits back. So  _that_ is what Snoke has told him. That conniving creature has lied to Ren about Hux’s death, most likely in the hopes that Ren would become  _his_ omega. But surely Snoke would have known that Hux wouldn’t take the  _Finalizer’s_ defeat lying down, that he wouldn’t have sat there on his broken ship and done nothing, all whist Snoke feeds lies to Ren about Hux’s death. Snoke would know that Hux would  _come here_ and Ren would see that Hux is, most certainly, alive. Hux has no idea what Snoke is planning, but he’ll get to that in a moment. He’s distracted by the sound of Ren’s fading heartbeat.  

“I’m not dead, Ren. I’m here. Open your eyes.” Hux leans forward, stroking his thumb across Ren’s cheekbone. But his omega doesn’t move, doesn’t make any attempt to open his eyes. Hux doesn’t know what to do, Ren is dying in front of his eyes. He tries to remain calm as he scours through his mind, trying to think of a way to save him. He suddenly finds himself focussed on the warmth in his mind; their child. Despite Hux not being strong in the Force, he realises how he can reach out to Ren, to convince his mate that he’s alive. 

Being as gentle as he can with the limited amount of time that he’s got, Hux lets go of Ren’s hand and stands up.

“Captain,” he calls out, “I need your help.”

Phasma is in the room quickly, standing next to him, pulling her helmet off. “Sir?”

“I need you to hold him,” Hux says, pulling the thin blanket down from Ren’s chest. Hux slides his hands underneath Ren’s arms and pulls him up slowly, watching as Phasma walks around the other side of the bed. She places her helmet on the bed and slides her hand across Ren's back. Ren’s head lolls backwards uncomfortably, his hair falling in his face. With Ren held in Phasma’s arms, Hux throws the pillows across the room and climbs onto the bed, sitting sideways with his legs hanging over the side. 

“What are you doing, General?”

“I need to strengthen his mind,” Hux says, slipping his hands underneath Ren’s arms to pull him back towards him. “I can’t access his mind like he can with mine, seeing as I have no Force powers.”

“So, what?” Phasma asks, removing her arm from Ren’s back as Hux lays the omega across his lap, supporting Ren’s head against his shoulder. 

“So physical contact will have to do,” Hux replies and Phasma steps back, feeling as though she's intruding on something that is extremely private. With his free hand, Hux brushes his hand through Ren’s dark hair, the strands smooth against his fingers.

“Come back,” Hux says in a whisper, “our daughter needs you.  _I_ need you.”

He gently presses his forehead against Ren’s and closes his eyes, hoping that it would be enough to strengthen their bond. Hux concentrates on the place where the flickering flame that represented their bond had once been in his mind, now extinguished by a darkness that Hux doesn’t understand. The darkness clouds their bond, shutting him off from his mate. The flame needs to be ignited, and maybe if Hux could do that in his  _own_ mind, the same would happen in Ren’s. Hux concentrates hard, channelling all of his focus on rekindling the flame, but his mind is too cold. With his mate’s presence being so abruptly cut off from him, Hux’s mind has been left cold and barren, too empty for the flame to properly ignite.

“No…” Hux whispers as his eyebrows knit together, feeling Ren’s body turning colder in his arms. He’s running out of time. They both are.

But Hux suddenly remembers the warmth that dwells in the back of his mind, and it comes forward and envelops his thoughts, spreading across his mind like a wildfire. His mind becomes enthused with a glow and he seizes the opportunity to refocus on the flame, willing it back to life. He can’t help but gasp at the flame ignites, overwhelming him with emotion, which he quickly realises isn’t his own.

It’s Ren’s.  _He can sense Ren’s emotions again._

Hux opens his eyes, realising that the lifesign machines are beeping quicker now, that Ren’s heartbeat is getting stronger. Hux stares at Ren’s face, feeling quite ecstatic when he sees Ren’s eyes fluttering open. His dark eyes look lost for a second, distant and glazed, but when he locks gazes with Hux, Ren’s eyes soften. He exhales slowly, and blinks for a long couple of seconds.

“…Have I ever told you how loud your thoughts are?” Ren says and Hux smiles.

“On numerous occasions, yes.”

Ren opens his eyes again and Hux presses his lips gently against Ren’s, unbelieving of how close he’d just come to losing him. Ren’s hand moves weakly to knit in Hux’s red hair, Hux leans into the touch.

“He told me you were dead,” Ren says, pulling away from the kiss, his eyes brimming with tears. “I couldn’t  _feel_ you, Hux. You were…gone.”

“I know. He did something to you, Ren, tampered with our connection so we couldn’t sense one another, but it’s alright,” he presses a quick kiss to Ren’s lips again. “Because I’m going to destroy him.” His expression softens for a second when he remembers something. “But we need to find our baby first.”

Ren’s eyes widen, his breathing ragged. “He’s got her, Hux. He took her away, I-I didn’t even get to touch her.”

“Ssh,” Hux soothes, not wanting to panic Ren. “We’ll find her. Let’s get you up first.”

Phasma takes this as here cue to intervene, seeing as she isn't so sure that Hux can support all of Ren’s weight on his own. Hux is strong but Ren is at least a couple of inches taller than him and has significantly more muscle mass, not that she’d ever explicitly mention that to Hux. She slides her hand around Ren's back and helps Hux to push him up, Ren groaning in the process.  Ren manages to sit up the rest of the way on his own, though Hux’s watches him carefully. Breathing through gritted teeth, Ren swings his bare legs over the side of the bed, pushing the blanket completely off him. He gently holds his arm around his stomach, and Hux is unsure whether it’s just an instinctive or habitual behaviour or whether he’s in pain from where the incision was made. Hux stands up off the bed and moves to stand in front of Ren.

“Did you bring me any clothes?” Ren asks as he looks up at Hux, obviously not wanting to wear the degrading blue gown for a second longer. 

“Yes, Ren. In the midst of planning your rescue, I made sure that I packed a fresh set of robes for you because in a situation like that, your wardrobe is my priority.”

Ren scowls at Hux but it doesn’t offend him. He feels slightly relieved that Ren is still himself.

“There should still be some of my clothes in my quarters on the upper floor.” 

Hux looks up at Phasma, who acknowledges the order and walks to her troopers, all of whom have reassembled outside the door. Hux hears them talking, though he can’t make out what they’re saying, though he hears two of them walk down the corridor, obviously to fetch Ren some proper clothes. Hux turns his full attention back to Ren, who rubs his hand absently over his stomach.

“What is she like?” Hux asks.

Ren looks up slowly, staring at Hux through the strands of hair that have fallen in his face.

“She’s…beautiful, Hux.” Ren smiles, “She’s got red hair.”

Hux’s lips curve into a small smile. He’d hoped that their child would have Ren’s hair; a beautiful head of dark locks that seemingly look like soft curls. But he supposes he’s content with his daughter having red hair like him. The sound of Phasma’s heavy footsteps approaching them distracts him.

“Sirs,” she says and both Hux and Ren look up at her. Hux is unnerved at how low her tone is. Something is wrong. “None of the troops report finding any sign of the child. I’m sorry.”

Hux averts his gaze from her to look at Ren, who shakes his head. 

“She’s still here. He hasn’t taken her away yet.” 

Phasma picks her helmet up from the bed. “We can look again if you want--”

“No,” Hux interrupts, “There’s one room we haven’t searched.”

“His throne room,” Ren says, and Hux nods. 

One of the Stormtroopers walks into the room, a pile of clothes in his arms and a pair of worn boots in his hand. He sets them down on the bed next to Ren, salutes and then walks back out, obviously not wanting to intrude on the conversation of his three superior officers. 

“I shall wait outside, sirs,” Phasma says, realising that Ren would want privacy whilst getting dressed. She leaves the room, the door swishing shut behind her.

Ren picks up the item on the top of the pile, a pair of loose black trousers and grabs the bottom of the blue gown, pulling it off over his head with a groan. Hux’s eyes are immediately drawn to the large cut on Ren’s stomach, still red and swollen from the delivery.  

“How long ago was your operation?” Hux asks, unknowing of whether Ren would even know the answer.

“One, maybe two, hours. I don’t know," he replies, struggling to reach to pull the trousers on, the wound on his stomach obviously feeling extremely tender. 

“Here,” Hux says, taking the trousers out of Ren’s hand. “Let me.”

Ren doesn’t protest as Hux kneels down, sliding the trousers up his legs.

“I  _can_ do it myself, Hux” Ren says and begins to move, as though he needs to prove it.

Hux raises his eyebrows at him and stands up himself, grabbing hold of Ren’s arm to help him. Hux can feel Ren’s body trembling, obviously still weak from the amount of sedatives he’s had pumped into his system. Not to mention the heavy anaesthetic he was clearly put under for the birth. Once Ren is stood up, Hux pulls the waistband of the trousers over his ass, being careful when pulling them up and over the wound on his stomach. Hux begins to methodically sort through the pile of clothes, trying to find a suitable shirt. He picks up each individual item, assessing it. Ren, clearly impatient, knocks the pile of clothes across the bed, messing up Hux’s neat pile, and picks up a random item, finding that it’s one of his plain black undershirts. 

“What?” Ren says when he sees Hux frowning at him. “You were taking too long.” He puts the shirt on, pulling it down gently over the curve of his stomach, his breath hitching as the fabric touches his cut. He reaches for his boots, but Hux beats him to it, knowing that Ren would struggle to bend to put them on. 

After Ren is completely dressed, Hux stands next to him and throws Ren’s arm over his shoulder.

“I can walk on my own, Hux,” Ren says, leaning the majority of his weight onto his alpha’s body.

“I know you can. Come on.” 

They walk slowly towards the door, Hux being slightly worried at how uneven Ren’s breathing is, but they were running out of time to find their daughter. The door swishes open, revealing Phasma and the rest of Hux’s squad standing to attention. 

“We’re going to the throne room on the top floor. Two of you walk in front, the rest of you follow closely and stay vigilant,” Hux says and the troopers nod in acknowledgement. Hux didn’t like to ask two of his troops to walk in front of him but with Ren so weak and in need of help to walk, Hux couldn’t afford a surprise attack, he wouldn't be able to defend them both should they find themselves ambushed. It’s a struggle getting Ren up the stairs but Hux manages, keeping his arm wrapped tightly around the small of his back. They’d be out of here soon, Hux keeps telling himself, with their child in their arms, on the way back to their  _Finalizer_ and away from harm. Hux swallows hard when they reach the top floor and halt to stand in front of the large, black doors that lead into Snoke’s throne room. 

“Should we go first, General?” One of the leading troopers asks and Hux nods, his blaster suddenly feeling very heavy on his belt, as though he may need to grab it soon.

The two leading troopers push the door open slowly and walk in, Ren and Hux following closely behind, and the rest of the squad close behind them. Snoke's throne room is deathly silent as they walk in and extremely dark, so much so that Hux finds himself squinting just to see properly. But when his eyes do adjust, Hux’s heart jumps in his chest. He can make out the silhouette of Snoke sitting on his throne, sitting proudly upright, as though he’d been biding his time until they came up here. Hux’s hand lunges for his blaster, but the sound of the doors slamming startles him. He turns to see Phasma and the other being shut off from him, being on the other side of the doors as they’re blown shut by an invisible force. Hux turns back around just in time to see the heads of the two troopers in front of him being twisted with a sickening crack and both of their bodies hit the floor. 

“General Hux and Kylo Ren. How pleasant it is for the two of you to join me,” Snoke’s voice echoes across the vastness of the empty room. 

Ren removes his hand from Hux’s shoulder, looking down at his alpha. Hux reads Ren’s expression and takes his hand off his waist. Hux understands that Ren wants to walk unaided to the man who threatened to take everything away from him. They walk forward together, watching as the lanterns that are mounted on the stone walls igniting sequentially as they get closer to the Supreme Leader, engulfing the room in a cold light. They stand on the raised platform in front of Snoke, underneath the domed, glass ceiling. 

“Where is she?” Ren asks, his tone cold. 

“The child?” Snoke replies condescendingly, “She is safe, do not worry. She will be well looked-after with me.”

Hux scoffs. “You’re a  _monster_.”

Snoke leans forward in his chair. “If I am a monster, what does that make you, General? The man--no, the  _alpha--_ who hides away on his ship among his reports and datasheets. Let us not forget that it was _you_ who destroyed an entire planetary system with a single order. Billions of lives taken in such a cold way; men, women and children. And you dare call _me_ a monster?" 

Hux scowls. He doesn’t reply. He notes Ren tensing next to him.

“That is what I thought,” Snoke says, standing up from his throne and taking his walking stick into his hand. “You have  _both_ done unspeakable things. What gave the two of you the impression that the galaxy would allow the two of you to  _raise a child_? _”_

Unable to restrain himself, Hux’s hand pulls his blaster off his belt and aims it right between Snoke’s eyes, thinking that a blaster shot straight through his deformed skull should be enough to finish him off for good. But before he can pull the trigger, he sees Snoke’s hand move in the air and he suddenly hears the sounds of his own bones snapping. Hux cries out as bones in his left hand break, dropping his blaster to the floor as the pain spreads through his entire hand. Hux looks down at the back of his hand to see dark bruising already forming. 

“Hux!” Ren says, moving to grasp hold of Hux’s arm. He inspects Hux’s hand carefully, turning to glare at Snoke with angry eyes. But Snoke doesn’t seem phased.

“Interesting,” Snoke says, standing a few metres in front of them. “The power of the Dark inside you  _grows_ when the General is hurt, Kylo. I wonder…” 

Snoke raises his hand in the air again, his fingers contorting, causing one of Hux’s ribs to break, snapping in his chest. Hux cries out, unable to remain standing as his body tenses in shock, shaking in agony. He falls to his knees and Ren falls with him, holding him as Hux breathes through gritted teeth. Before either of them can speak, Hux cries out again as a rib on the opposite side snaps in half. He tries to fold in on himself, holding his broken hand against his body.

“ _Enough!”_ Ren yells. The lanterns on the wall flicker. 

“Good, my boy,” Snoke says eerily. “Let the Dark consume you.”

“R-Ren,” Hux says with a feeble attempt to look up at his mate. He feels blood beginning to pool in his mouth, “ _don’t.”_ Hux can already feel Ren slipping away from him, their bond becoming clouded again. He knows that letting such darkness take over Ren’s mind wouldn’t be good, for either of them. 

“Tell me, Kylo, do you recall what I said I would do to your precious General should he return here?”

Ren pulls away from Hux to look into his alpha’s eyes, a little trickle of blood dripping from his mouth. Hux looks as though he’s on the verge of passing out. Of course Kylo remembers, the words Snoke had spoken had been enough to fuel Ren’s rage to Force-push his ‘Master’ down the marble staircase.  _‘Should he be foolish enough to come back here, I shall take great joy in ripping his beating heart from his chest.’_

“And I always keep my word.”

Seemingly in slow motion, Snoke stretches his bony hand outwards towards Hux, his fingers all spread out wide. Hux gasps suddenly, feeling a terrible pressure in his chest, threatening to suffocate him.

“No,” Ren says, pressing his palm against Hux’s chest, as though he could somehow save him like this. Hux’s eyes widen as his breathing becomes ragged, coughing weakly, his vision blurring. He leans heavily on Ren’s shoulder. Ren’s hands are suddenly on his cheeks, holding his head upright as Hux continues to choke, an incredibly cold pressure around his heart. “Hux, stay with me!”

“You are  _weak_ , General. You _will_ die, and Kylo Ren will be mine once again,” Snoke says, beginning to clench his fist, preparing himself to take General Hux’s last breath away from him. 

Hux screams. So does Ren.

“ _NO!”_

Suddenly, Ren’s hands are gone from his face, and Hux manages to catch himself on his good hand before his head hits the floor. Opening his eyes slowly, Hux feels the compression on his chest disappear completely, leaving only the pain from his broken ribs and hand radiating across his body. His vision becomes a little clearer and he blinks away the tears, feeling a little disorientated as he stares at the droplets of his blood on the floor. Hearing choked gasps, he looks up, seeing Ren standing rigidly still with his hand outstretched, and Snoke’s body behind held in the air. The Supreme Leader is clawing at his own throat, his long fingers grasping at his chest. Hux feels as though he should feel a sense of relief that Snoke is being tortured, but he doesn’t. 

Something is wrong. He’s losing Ren. His presence is fading from Hux's mind, being replaced by a hazy darkness.

Hux looks up at his omega, Ren’s pale face partially obscured by his hair, but he can see Ren’s chest heaving in his rage, his anger consuming him completely. Hux can feel their bond becoming tainted with darkness, shrouding it from him and weakening it. He has to stop him before Ren becomes someone that Hux wouldn’t recognise. Hux stands up on shaking legs, still holding his bad arm around his shattered ribs. 

“Ren,” Hux says, stepping closer to his mate, hoping that once Ren hears his voice, he would be drawn out of his dark trance. But as he nears him, Hux is shocked when he gaze falls upon Ren’s face.

Ren’s complexion has paled significantly, but that isn’t what has Hux frozen in fear. Ren’s deep, warm eyes are no longer brown; they’re yellow, luminous and sulfuric, burning into Snoke’s skull. His outstretched hand clenches as his entire arm shakes, and Hux can feel the power radiating from his being.

“Ren,  _stop!”_ Hux says, pleading desperately. 

“He deserves to die.” Ren’s voice sounds distorted to Hux’s ears, his tone low and dark. Ren scrunches his nose and Hux hears Snoke’s gasps become more pained. “He took everything from me.  _Everything!”_

The sound of glass smashing startles Hux and he looks up to see the domed glass roof directly above implode, the shards falling down around them. Hux shields himself with his good arm as the broken pieces clatter to the floor loudly. Hux’s mind aches as the darkness around their bond becomes more and more impenetrable. He has to act quickly before he completely loses Ren to the dark.

“Kylo! Stop! Come back!” Hux stands in front of Ren, clutching his upper arms tightly, Hux trying his best to ignore the pain that engulfs his left hand. Ren doesn’t look down at him, his dark gaze is securely locked on Snoke’s pained face. Hux can’t believe he’s staring into Ren’s eyes; the yellow glow of his irises looks so  _unnatural. "Yes,_ he deserves to die the most painful of deaths but not like this. Not if it means that I lose _you_ too."

Ren blinks slowly, his eyes being drawn down to look into Hux’s, his body relaxing a little under Hux’s touch.

“Aedan.” Ren says in a warm tone, and Hux can’t help but recoil a little, feeling unnerved at Ren using his _first_ name. Hux hates his first name, nobody uses it, if he can help it. His father doesn’t even use it, not that their conversations occur frequently these days; usually Brendol Hux just addresses his son as ‘ _boy’._ Hux himself even avoids using it when introducing himself to people and he’d even begun to doubt whether Ren was even aware that he  _had_ a first name, seeing as he never used it. Aedan Hux was the reserved, freckled, red-haired little boy who’d been bullied by other alphas at the Academy for the way he looked and the way he acted. Aedan Hux had been teased about not being a _real_ alpha, but General Hux certainly is. Hux had locked that part of himself away long ago, he supposes in the same way that Ren had done with Ben Solo.

Hux watches as Ren’s eyes fade from the burning yellow back to the deep brown that Hux has come to adore. His fist unclenches and he lowers his arm back to his side, and Hux hears Snoke collapse to the floor behind him, his breath ragged and uneven. Hux feels Ren become weak, his arms trembling underneath Hux’s hands, and the omega’s knees give out rather suddenly. Hux falls with him, landing on his knees. Ren falls against him, his forehead resting on Hux’s shoulder. Hux knits his sore fingers in Ren’s dark hair, holding him close.

“Forgive me,” Ren says and Hux leans his temple against Ren’s head.

But before Hux can reply, he realises that the monster who’s caused all of this suffering is still alive. He looks over at Snoke, who is somehow managing to stand on his own trembling legs. Hux scowls, making a quick swipe for his blaster which lies just to the right of him, where he’d dropped it previously when Snoke had broken his hand. He doesn’t hesitate this time, his finger is over the trigger before Snoke can even notice that Hux is pointing the barrel of the blaster between his eyes.

“For Kylo Ren.”

Hux pulls the trigger, seeing the red bolt hit its target quickly and, with a satisfying thud, Snoke’s lifeless body hits the floor, a burning hole in his head.

Hux exhales in disbelief, dropping the blaster to the floor. Moonlight pours in through the broken glass ceiling, illuminating the room. Snoke is dead. The Supreme Leader of the First Order has been killed, murdered by General Hux, now the most powerful alpha in the galaxy. Hux’s head swims with questions about what they’re going to do about the First Order but he’ll get to that in a while; Ren is still leaning silently against Hux’s shoulder.

“Ren?” Hux says, but gets no reply. Hux puts both of his hands on the sides of Ren’s head, bringing the omega’s attention up to him. Tears are streaming down Ren’s cheeks, his eyes red and sore.

“I’m sorry, I-I don’t know what happened to me, I couldn’t control it, I can’t--”

“Ssh,” Hux says, soothing him. “It’s over. He’s dead. And you’re still here.” He presses his lips to Ren’s forehead, feeling his omega’s fingers fold around his wrist. Hux hisses in pain and Ren pulls his hand away quickly.

“Are you alright? Your hand, your ribs--“

“I’ll be fine,” Hux says, trying to hide his pain, “nothing permanent. We’ve got a bigger problem.”

Ren nods. “She’s still here, Hux. They haven’t taken her away. Not yet.”

Hux trusts Ren’s instincts _completely,_ so he supposes they need to search the lower floors again, seeing as their first search had been completely unsuccessful. As he wipes away the blood from his lips and chin with his sleeve, Hux thinks that there may well be a secret corridor somewhere, he wouldn’t put it past Snoke to have secret rooms in this place. But as if on cue, the door in the back corner, the door that both Ren and Hux had forgotten about, opens slowly. The pair turn their heads to look in the direction of the creaking door, remembering seeing Snoke walk through it after he had tried to rid them of their growing child. Ren begins to stand up slowly, pulling Hux up with him, the alpha restraining his groans from the pains in his chest. They step closer to the door, seeing a human female dressed in white emerge, peering around the door.

“I recognise her,” Ren says, “she was in the room whilst…when they took her away from me.”

The woman pushes the door open fully, gesturing to someone to follow her out. From the room, a group of medics walk out, cowering and visibly shaking. One of them, an older female, carries something in her arms, something wrapped in a white blanket. Before Hux can stop him, Ren rushes forward to the woman, taking the bundle out of her arms without any exchange of words. He turns his back on the medics, desperate to show her to Hux, to her father. Hux’s knees are trembling as he watches Ren walk closer to him, watches the way Ren is looking down at their child with such a wild admiration in his dark eyes. Ren comes to a slow halt in front of him, his eyes trail up to Hux’s, wanting to see his alpha’s reaction upon seeing their daughter for the first time.

Hux is overwhelmed; he can’t believe she’s here, in front of his eyes. She’s wrapped up tightly in the little white blanket, but Hux can see a tiny tuft of red hair peeking out from underneath the blanket. She’s sleeping soundly, and Hux thinks that she looks so much like Ren.

“Do…do you, I mean, you can hold her, obviously--” Ren stutters through his sentence, and Hux knows he’s obviously feeling a little overwhelmed too

“Yes. Please.”

Ren shifts her weight in his arms and hands her over gently to Hux, her head resting in the crook of his right arm. His eyes brim with tears as he watches her yawn. He brings his broken hand up painfully, wanting to touch her cheek, so he tries to ignore the pain, but it’s getting more and more difficult. He needs medical attention, especially for his broken ribs.

Suddenly, Hux hears the large doors at the opposite end of the room open loudly, blown back on their hinges. His daughter begins to cry, obviously startled by the loud noise. To Hux’s dismay, Ren takes a step closer to him, placing his finger on her cheek and soothes her, and she soon stops crying.

“I never had you down for being so naturally paternal,” Hux says with a slight smile.

“Shut up, Hux,” Ren says, and kisses him softly.

Phasma and the remaining eight troopers approach them quickly, slowing when they see Hux holding the white bundle of blankets in his arms. But Hux then hears Phasma make a small noise that sounds like a gasp and he looks over at her to see her removing her helmet. Her eyes are wide, staring down at the unmoving body of Snoke.

“Is he…” She asks, looking back up at Hux.

“Dead? Quite so.”

“How?”

“Ren choked him. I shot him.”

Phasma frowns. “Then…you’re--”

“The highest ranking leader of the First Order? I’m aware, Captain.”

Hux is _too_ aware of this fact. With Snoke now gone, the First Order is effectively left to his command, his _rule._ But the rest of the galaxy is still to learn of Snoke’s death and Hux intends to keep the ignorance, for now. They need to get off this damned planet and back to their ship, their _Finalizer._ But Hux finds himself stifling a cough, feeling more blood in his mouth. He promptly hands his daughter back over to Ren, who stares at him with worried eyes.

“I’m alright,” Hux says, wiping the blood from his lips. “I’m fi-- _gah!”_

He suddenly falls to his knees, both arms wrapped around his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ren hand their child over to Phasma, as Ren drops to his knees beside Hux. Ren’s hand in on Hux’s arm, grasping it tightly.

“He needs medical attention,” Ren says, addressing Phasma. “There’s a room downstairs with medical equipment in. We can find something to help him.”

“Ren, I’m fin—“

“If you say you’re ‘fine’, I’m going to knock you out myself.”

As Ren moves to lift Hux into his arms, Hux grabs the front of Ren’s shirt.

" _No,_ ” he says in a sharp tone, “we need to get _off_ this planet. I can…hold on until we reach the _Finalizer.”_

Ren frowns at him, but then smiles. “And I thought _I_ was the stubborn one.” He presses a quick kiss to Hux’s forehead and then stands up slowly, holding Hux up with him, his arm around Hux’s thin waist. His alpha leans heavily on him, though Hux supposes it should be Ren leaning on _him._

“Do you still have those thermal detonators, trooper?” Hux asks.

“Yes, sir. Though we used some of them to blow up that door.”

“Fine. Set them across the citadel. Return to the ship once you are done.” As the trooper walks briskly around the throne room, placing charges on the large pillars, Hux turns to the group of medics, who stand huddled together. “I suggest you all get out and off this planet before I change my mind on allowing you all to live.”

They don’t need to be told twice and all scarper past him, and Hux notes that Ren nods solemnly at two of the medics as they brush past him; the young female and the older female, obviously as some kind of gesture of gratitude. Hux makes a mental note to ask Ren more about the birth later, he wants to know every single detail about the moments his daughter was brought into the galaxy.

“Can you walk?” Ren asks, looking at Hux’s trembling legs.

“Of course I can walk,” Hux replies, throwing his arm around Ren’s shoulders. Ren raises his eyebrows at him but accepts Hux’s weight against him.

They both look over at Phasma, who is _smiling_ at the child. Hux doesn’t think he’s ever seen her smile properly before.

With Ren supporting Hux, they make their way out of the room, Hux giving one last look over his shoulder to Snoke’s dead body. Hux’s lips turn up at the ends into a satisfied grin. He’s done what he set out to do; save Ren, save their child, and murder the bastard who put them all through this. He looks up at Ren as they walk, feeling relieved to know that Snoke could never harm a hair on Kylo’s head ever again. No one could, Hux would make sure of it. Getting down the stairs in their weakened states is more difficult that both Ren and Hux expected. If Ren is in pain from the inscion wound on his stomach, he’s doing a tremendous job of hiding it. Hux, on the other hand, breathes through gritted teeth, every step jolting his broken ribs. His hand, however, has gone almost completely numb.

“You’re enjoying this,” Hux says.

“What?”

“This. Me being all weak and it looking as though _you’re_ the alpha.”

Ren smirks. “I’m quite sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hux.”

They both manage to climb their way over the debris by where the front blast doors used to be, and they exit the citadel, finding that the storm that had surrounded the fortress has seemingly eased. Hux thanks his past self for ordering the shuttle to be left so close to the entrance. They clamber up the ramp of the ship, Hux leaning more and more into Ren for support. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold on.

“Just a bit further,” Ren says, as though he’s read Hux’s mind.

They make their way through the shuttle, towards the bunks in the back. Ren lowers Hux down onto the bunk, Hux groaning in pain.

“Easy,” Ren says, his hand lingering on the back of Hux’s head as he lowers his alpha down properly onto the thin mattress. Phasma is suddenly standing next to Ren, passing their daughter into his arms. Ren kneels down and holds his daughter so Hux can see her, touch her.

“I’ll see if there’s a medpac on board,” she says and leaves them alone.

Hux reaches his hand up to brush his finger across her cheek.

“She…looks like you,” Hux says weakly, feeling on the verge of passing out.

“How unfortunate,” Ren replies, watching as Hux smiles.

Footsteps approach them and Hux manages to open his eyes again.

“Sir,” it’s one of the troopers. He salutes at them both, and Hux absently appreciates the formality. “The detonators have been set.”

“Good…Take off and…blow that place to _pieces_ ,” Hux says, allowing his hand to fall away from his daughter’s cheek. Ren takes hold of his unbroken hand, rubbing gentle circles over his knuckles.

“You’ll make it back, Hux. I promise.”

Ren leans over to kiss Hux, their lips touching softly, seeing as both have lost a lot of their strength. It’d be different, once they were back on the _Finalizer_ and they were both healed. Hux can’t wait to have Ren to himself again, to have his omega back in his arms, with their daughter to care for. As the shuttle pulls off the small island, Hux hears the detonators activate, destroying the citadel and Snoke’s body with it. He exhales slowly, his eyes finally closing. But the darkness doesn’t take him so abruptly, his mind stays alight. Ren is close-by and safe, so Hux allows himself to slip away slowly.

As he finally allows his consciousness to slip from him, Hux feels incredibly content, knowing they are all on their way back _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt exhausted when I finished this chapter! 
> 
> As a side-note, Hux's first name is pronounced like 'Aiden'/'Aidan', except I chose to spell it the old Irish way in honour of our precious Domhnall.  
> Thank you so much for reading! Only one chapter to go! 
> 
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter is here! I apologise for the lateness of this final update. I'm halfway through my exams in my 3rd year at university so I've been super busy revising! But I've been desperate to get this finished and I sincerely hope it lives up to your expectations! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like it!

Despite his tremendous headache and aching body, Hux wakes up peacefully. He’s not in as much pain as he was before, so he deduces that he, Ren and the rest of his squad have made it safely back aboard the _Finalizer_ whilst he’s been unconscious. He tries not to think of the likelihood that Ren, his _omega,_ had carried him from the shuttle down to the medical wing, most likely in a bridal manner. Hux knows Ren would have _relished_ in the feeling of having it seem as though _he_ is the alpha, and Hux the omega. Though his thoughts are pushed aside when he becomes aware of a dull pain in his chest. He’s lying in a bed, or rather, he’s propped up in a bed, most likely in the medical wing on his Star Destroyer. He opens his eyes slowly, noting that there’s tight bandaging around the entirety of his torso and his arm rests rather limply against his chest in an old-fashioned sling. He doesn’t move; he doesn’t know whether his bones have been properly healed and he doesn’t plan on finding out the painful way.

Hux turns his head slowly to his right, seeing Ren sitting in a large, high-backed chair next to the bed, their daughter lying in his arms. Hux studies his omega’s face for a moment; Ren looks better, there’s a little more colour in his cheeks than there had been the last time Hux had seen him. The scar from the battle with the scavenger is still there, still bisecting his young face. Hux supposes it’ll never properly heal but Hux has come to admire it. His gaze drifts downwards to their child, held gently in Ren’s strong arms. She’s sleeping, wearing plain white clothes, little white socks on her feet. Ren is staring down at her, his forefinger stroking across her cheek. 

"She needs a name," Hux says in a hushed tone, starling Ren slightly. He looks over at Hux, his lips curving upwards at one end when he sees that his alpha is finally awake.

"I've been thinking of names," Ren replies, looking back down at his daughter, "but I haven't been able to come up with any you would approve of."

Hux raises his eyebrows. "Like _what_?"

"'Anakin'?"

"Absolutely not." 

Ren doesn't look too pleased at Hux's dismissal and obvious dislike of his suggestion that they name her after his grandfather, but Ren's expression doesn't remain sour for long. Their child begins to stir in his arms and Ren softly shushes her, rocking her gently back to into sleep. Hux stares at him in awe, Ren's dark eyes filled with emotion. 

"How are you feeling?" Hux asks, recalling how Ren's eyes had become a frightening shade of sulphuric yellow as he’d succumbed to his rage, and how Hux had almost completely lost him to the darkness.

"Fine. Sore, but the medics said that's normal. They checked the incision, said that the procedure was done properly so the wound will heal." He doesn't look up at Hux. "They checked her too," he inclines his head towards their baby, "and said that she's healthy. Snoke didn't do anything to her." 

Hux feels relieved that their child is safe and unharmed, but he can't fully relax yet.

"And what did Snoke do to you?" Hux can't help himself. He knows his mate will be reluctant to talk about it but Hux has to know what Ren went through. He _has_ to.

 _“Hux_." Ren looks up at him slowly, his eyebrows knitted together. "You've been conscious for all of twenty seconds. I'm not talking about that with you now." 

Hux tries not to scowl at Ren but he isn't successful. He wants to know everything that evil, twisted creature did to Ren, everything that Ren had to suffer through without Hux by his side. He wants to know about the birth, about the moments leading up to his daughter being brought into the galaxy, seeing as Snoke had taken that away from him. But Ren clearly isn’t going to change his mind on the matter, so Hux decides it’d be better if he changes the subject.

“How long have I been asleep?” He asks and Ren looks up at him.

“Only a couple of hours.” Ren inclines his head towards Hux’s arm which is cradled in the sling. “Captain Phasma found a bone-knitter in a medpac on the shuttle so most of your broken bones were fixed then, but I insisted that the medics keep you under their careful watch until you woke up. Just to make sure.”

Hux smiles. Ren had _insisted._ He wonders if such negotiations consisted of Ren aggressively dictating to his medical staff how to do their jobs.

“So all the bones have been fixed?”

Ren nods.

“Then what’s the sling for?”

“They didn’t want you to jostle your hand in your sleep and with a lot of equipment being destroyed in Snoke’s raid, _that_ was the best they could come up with.”

Hux supposes he should commend the medics for their original thinking in such extenuating circumstances and he absently finds himself wondering about the extent to which the _Finalizer_ has been mended as a result of the _Subjugate’s_ ambush. He fully intends to do anything needed to get his ship back to her former glory. She wouldn’t be scrapped; Hux could never do that. She’d be the flagship of the First Order for as long as Hux had breath in his lungs.

“The _Finalizer_ is fine, Hux. Stop stressing so loudly,” Ren says, watching as Hux pulls his arm out of the sling, stretching his fingers. He grimaces as a slight twinge of pain shoots across his hand but it generally feels better. He doesn’t suppose it’ll be permanently damaged, he’ll still be able to use it. He pulls the sling off over his head and lays it on the bed, rolling his shoulder in an attempt to eliminate the stiffness of his joints.

“Can I…can I hold her?” Hux asks, feeling apprehensive.

Ren nods in response and shifts his daughter’s weight, cradling her head as he gently passes her over into Hux’s waiting arms. Her head rests in the crook of his arm, her patch of red hair ticking his skin. Hux stares down at her in complete awe.

“Hello, darling,” he whispers to her, grazing his finger across the back of her tiny hand. He looks over at Ren, who’s drawn one of his legs up under his chin, his head resting on his knee and his gaze locked with Hux. “She’s perfect.”

Ren shrugs. “Not without a name, she’s not.”

///////////////////////////////////

Hux is discharged from the medical wing a couple of hours later, and he and Ren need no further encouragement to leave medbay and get back to their quarters. As a result of unplanned pregnancies being frowned upon on board First Order ships, Hux finds that there are limited supplies on board that they’d need to sufficiently take care of the child. Luckily, one of the beta officers on board, who’d recently been pregnant herself, offers her bassinet and her supply of other such essentials to Hux and Ren until they can properly formulate their arrangements. Hux stands in the middle of her quarters whilst she gathers items for him, her long hair tied back in a braid swishing behind her. Hux thanks her for her generosity and politely asks about her mate and her child, feeling as though he should, at least, engage in light conversation with her as a result of her act of charity. Without her, he would have been stuck with insufficient supplies to take care of the child. But when the colour seemingly drains from her cheeks, Hux immediately realises that he’s made a mistake by asking. Her dark eyes brim with tears as her voice shakes.

“My child was unwell when he was born so he…passed on before he reached his first birthday. My alpha perished in battle soon after.” Her young face is suddenly filled with emotion and Hux feels desperately sorry for her. “I was close to resigning my position but…the Order is where I first met my mate. Under your command, in fact, General. I needed to stay to feel close to him. And to my child.”

Hux wishes he’d never asked. The grief in the young woman’s face is almost heart-breaking. Hux can’t imagine the suffering the young beta must’ve gone through when she’d felt her child and her mate die, something that Hux hopes he’d never have to experience for as long as he lives. He offers the young woman his condolences and she thanks him, handing him a bag full of assorted baby items. As he’s leaving her quarters, he thanks the officer greatly for her help, knowing that he seemingly would have been lost for a solution without her aid. He gets a sad smile from her in return. He slings the bag over his shoulder and pushes the bassinet back to his quarters, feeling incredibly thankful for the four small wheels on the bottoms of the four legs as he very much doubts he would’ve been able to carry the damn thing all the way across the ship to his and Ren’s quarters.

Hux doesn’t worry about what his subordinates think of him as he pushes the wooden bassinet down the corridors. He supposes it’s rather common knowledge now, that he and Kylo Ren are mated and have a child together. But what Hux hadn’t supposed is that he would get nothing but friendly smiles and reassuring nods from his crew as he pushes the bassinet to his quarters. He would’ve guessed that his officers would leer at him with the intention of prying into his personal business, and possibly even spread rumours about his relationship with Ren. They nod politely at him as though they’re aware of what hell he and Ren had _actually_ been through at the hands of Snoke. Hux makes a mental note to investigate the crew’s _odd_ behaviour at a later date, though he supposes Captain Phasma has something to do with the overwhelming positivity.

The door to his quarters slides open and he struggles through the door with the large bag and the bassinet. Ren sat up on the bed, wearing his typical loose black trousers, black shirt and grey socks. He sits with his back against the headboard, the baby in his arms.

“Can you manage?” Ren says.

Hux huffs, straining. “Of _course_ I can manage.”

Hux’s newly-mended hand had begun to ache about halfway through the journey; the bassinet is a lot heavier than it looks. Not that he’s going to inform Ren of his hardship. He pushes it across the room and arranges it next to their bed and pulls the bag off his shoulder. He looks up at Ren, seeing that his omega is inspecting what Hux has brought. The frame of the bassinet is wooden; a shade of very dark brown, standing on four strong legs with castors at the foot of each leg. The basket resting on the frame is made out of wicker, a tiny white mattress placed inside with extra padding around its sides. Tiny yellow ribbons have been tied through the weavings of the wicker for decoration, with a particularly larger ribbon on the front of the hood.

“Well?” Hux says when Ren stays quiet.

Ren doesn’t answer him. Instead, he scoots to the edge of the bed, being extremely careful not to wake the baby. He places her down gently into the bassinet and stares at her, as though he’s assessing every detail. Their daughter shifts in her sleep, moving her tiny arms.

“She likes it,” Ren says, looking up at Hux. “So do I.”

Hux smiles and kneels down to begin unpacking the assorted items in the bag, placing them onto the shelf on the bottom of the bassinet. It’s mostly essential products; bottles, clothes, baby monitor, pacifiers. Hux arranges them neatly and orderly on the shelf and looks up to find Ren rolling his eyes at him. Hux smirks, pulling a small white blanket from the bag. He stands up, unfolding the material in his hands, noting how soft it is and how there are faint yellow stars printed into its fabric. He steps over to where Ren has placed their daughter down in the bassinet and he covers her with the blanket gently. Hux is secretly pleased that everything in the bag seems to conform to the same colour scheme; the same shade of pale yellow. He turns back around, suddenly noting a large box next to his desk.

“Where did that come from?” Hux asks, walking over to it.

“The medics sent it up whilst you were getting the crib.” Ren waves his hand in the air. “It’s the basic hygiene products for her. All the things medical could pull together. Diapers, soaps, those sorts of things. The medic said that we’re both confined to the ship until we’re both healed.”

Hux rolls his eyes, noting how displeased Ren sounds at this medical order too. “I’ll have to send some of my subordinates to the nearest _civilised_ planet to collect some things for us then.” Hux had planned to go himself the next morning, but he supposes he shouldn’t go against medical orders. The bandages are still tightly wrapped around his chest and he absently supposes his hand should still be in the sling, seeing as it had begun to ache terribly. He sits down at his desk and pulls out his datapad from one of the drawers and begins to type a message Lieutenant Mitaka, ordering him to pull together a group of trustworthy officers to do some…. _shopping_ for him and Ren, for their child. He compiles a list of things that they’d urgently need for her.

“What was your mother’s name?”

Ren’s voice startles Hux slightly as the room had been completely silent. Hux doesn’t look up from his datapad. He doesn’t even stop typing.

“We’re not naming her after my mother,” Hux replies abruptly. “I don’t want her named after anyone. I want her to grow into her own person rather than aspiring to be like her namesake.” Hux finishes typing on his datapad, and quickly changes the subject. “I’ve sent in the request. We’ll have enough supplies on board until we are able to find a suitable enough planet to purchase some more items for her.”

Ren nods, watching as Hux gets up from his desk and moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to Ren, the bassinet right in front of them.

“I’m sorry, Hux. This won’t be forever.”

Hux frowns in bewilderment. “What _are_ you talking about, Ren?”

“I know this isn’t what you wanted. You didn’t want her to live on a Star Destroyer.” Ren slowly looks over at him, “but we won’t raise her here, I promise.”

Hux looks away from his mate to look down at his sleeping daughter. He shakes his head. “I’ve realised that I don’t care where she’s raised.” Hux can tell by the way that Ren’s body tenses that he’s shocked. “All I care about is that you are with me, and that both you _and_ her are unharmed.”

The comfortable silence settles around them again, the only sound that can be heard is the quiet breathing of their daughter. Hux had meant what he’d said; almost losing Ren and their child had put everything into perspective for him: that he’d raise his child anywhere in the Galaxy as long as Kylo Ren is with him. He looks over at his omega, who is seemingly in lost in deep thought.

“What about ‘Elora’?” Ren says, looking down at their daughter.

Hux raises his eyebrows. “Elora.” He repeats the name, purposefully annunciating each letter, testing his feelings, analysing how it sounds. “Where did you get that from?”

Ren doesn’t look up. “It was the name of a princess in a story that my--. That was read to me when I was younger. The princess had red hair, just like her.” _Just like you_ , Ren thinks.

“Elora Ren.”

“No,” Ren replies rather abruptly, finally looking up to meet his alpha’s gaze. “Elora Hux.”

Hux smiles. " _Elora Hux_ she is." 

Hux leans closer to Ren, taking his lips against his own in a swift kiss. Hux is beyond content with the fact that his daughter finally has a name. Somehow, this all feels _more real_ now that she has an identity, a name to go with her face. Hux pulls away from the kiss, watching as Ren’s gaze becomes more troubled as he looks back down at his daughter…at Elora.

“What’s wrong?” Hux asks.

Ren sighs with a slight shake of his head. “I just…don’t think I can do it.”

“Do what?” Hux leans in a little closer but Ren seemingly shifts away.

“Be a good father to her. _My_ parents were never…I never felt as though they were there. They sent me away to train with a man I barely knew when I was just a boy, I became Snoke’s apprentice when I was a teenager. I’ve never known anything different. What if I…” Ren’s voice breaks for a second before he manages to quickly recompose himself. “What if I _hurt_ her? My temper, I’m unstable--”

“Ren, stop. You wouldn’t do that.”

“You don’t know that, Hux. And neither do I.” He swallows hard, exhales through his nose. “How can someone as _bad_ and as _twisted_ as me possibly be good for someone as innocent as her?”

Hux feels his heart sink in his chest. Truly, Ren doubts his ability to raise their child; he can see it in Ren’s dark eyes, feels it through their bond in his mind. Hux involuntarily jolts as a sharp thought crosses Ren’s mind. The omega is considering running away, believing that both Hux and Elora would be safer if he weren’t around.

“Don’t you dare even _consider_ leaving us, Kylo Ren,” Hux says in a rather stern tone. Ren looks up at him with sad eyes. “Bad and twisted is a matter of perspective," Hux says, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, feeling as though those are two words that could be used to describe him too. “You are _not_ your parents, you are _not_ Snoke’s apprentice and you most certainly _are not_ bad for her.” Hux threads his ungloved fingers through Ren’s dark hair, combing through the thick strands. “She needs you. To protect her. To show her the ways of the Force like you said you wanted. And I need you too.”

Hux pulls Ren’s head towards him, catching his lips in a desperate kiss. This time, Ren kisses back with equal emotion, he slips his hand around Hux’s waist. The alpha shifts into the touch and tugs at Ren’s hair, pushing their lips closer. But as Hux moves to slide his hand across Ren’s abdomen to his hip, Ren jolts back with a slight groan, and Hux remembers that the wound where the incision was made will still be healing.

“I’m sorry,” Hux says, “how is it?”

Ren lifts his black shirt up gingerly, revealing the large cut on the lower side of his stomach. Though the wound itself looks as though it has sealed relatively well, it still looks a little red and slightly inflamed.

“You need to rest. Lie down,” Hux orders and Ren complies, shifting back on the bed to lie flat on his back. Hux stands up, giving a look into the bassinet to check that Elora is still sleeping. Content that she is, Hux walks around to the other side of the bed and lies down next to Ren, pulling his boots off in the process. Ren shifts closer to him, their hips touching. They lie in silence for a few moments before Hux speaks.

“Tell me about the birth,” he says, hoping that Ren wouldn’t be as stubborn as he was before and refuse to tell Hux about anything regarding his time in Snoke’s captivity.

“Fine,” Ren replies and begins to recite the events from when he’d first woken up after being taken from the _Finalizer_ to when he’d woken up in Hux’s arms after their bond had been reignited. Hux asks him to leave in _all_ of the details and, with a roll of his eyes, Ren does. Hux lies there and listens, imagining each scene in vivid detail as Ren works his way through the events that led up to Elora’s birth. Ren gets distressed at one point, when he tells Hux how he’d felt when Snoke had told him that Hux had chosen to go down with the burning _Finalizer_ and Hux shifts closer to him, taking the omega’s hand in his, knitting their fingers together.

“I can’t really believe Snoke is dead,” Ren says when he’s finished with his tale. “I mean, I…was under his control for so long that I _feel_ different. A _good_ kind of different. My mind isn’t as heavy.” He absently rubs his eyes with the back of his hand and Hux guesses that Ren will need some time to adjust to _not_ having that manipulative creature dictating his every thought.

“I’m glad that disgusting beast is gone,” Hux replies but his expression quickly drops. “Though I cannot lie that I am concerned for the Order. Word will soon spread that the Supreme Leader is dead and that there is no alpha at the helm to lead us.”

Ren looks up at him with wide eyes, a slight smile on his lips.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Hux says and sits up, folding his legs underneath him and running his hand through his red hair. It’s gotten longer recently, with strands now being long enough to hang slightly over his forehead. He doesn’t like it. He wants to get it cut as soon as possible.

“No, you don’t,” Ren says, stifling a small laugh. “ _I’m_ the one with the mind-reading powers.”

“You think _I_ should take over command of the First Order, become the next Supreme Leader.”

Ren shakes his head. “I told you that you didn’t know what I’m thinking.”

Hux frowns, “Go on then. What _are_ you thinking?”

Ren pushes himself up onto his elbows and sits up slowly, moving to sit directly opposite Hux, his dark eyes wild and excited.

“I think you should become Emperor.”

“ _Ren_. That’s the same thing.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Hux tries his best to suppress his grin at the thought of holding the title of ‘Emperor’. There is no denying the fact that it has frequently crossed his mind that he should be the new alpha in full command of the First Order but the thought of occupying the same title as Snoke had, the same creature who’d caused his mate so much agony, makes Hux want to shiver. But Hux also can’t deny that he’s had thoughts like this for the majority of his adult life; that is it his right to rule the galaxy, to command over all, once Supreme Leader Snoke was disposed of, somehow. He hadn’t thought it were possible, to kill a being whom no one could recall the beginning of. But now that the horrid creature _is_ gone, Hux finds himself questioning whether he _could_ take on such a position, not because he doubts his skills, but because he doubts whether Ren and his daughter would be safe if he did.

“You’re aware of the amount of enemies I would make if I _were_ to become Emperor,” Hux says with raised eyebrows, but Ren’s expression doesn’t become any less excitable.

“You know you wouldn’t have to worry about your enemies, Hux. I’d eliminate any who decided to stand against you,” Ren replies. “I’d be your protector, your hound, doing whatever it is my Emperor wishes me to.”

Hux can’t help but roll his eyes. Ren is already referring to him as ‘Emperor’ when he only invented the idea thirty seconds ago.

“What makes you think I’d allow you to take care of my enemies? You’d be my consort, waiting for me in our bedchambers with Elora, away from all harm,” Hux replies, unsure of whether he’s joking or not.

This is when Ren’s excitement begins to fade from his expression. “I’d want to protect you, Hux. You and Elora. I’d want to fight your battles for you. It’s the only thing I know how to do. _Fight_.”

Hux knows Ren is right; that the Knight would most likely lose his mind if he were to do nothing but sit in Hux’s palace, waiting for him to return from the day’s business. Ren is reckless, untamed, and needs to be unchained to go on missions. Hux knows it would be wrong of him to attempt to put a leash on Ren, to stop him from being a Knight. Hux knows he would be no different from Snoke if he did that.

“Emperor Aedan Brendol Hux.”

“Don’t call me that.” Hux’s tone is low, quiet, and he’s unsure of whether he’s annoyed at Ren calling him by his first name either because Ren _knows_ how much he despises it or whether it’s too painful being reminded of that circumstance of the last time Ren had called him by his first name.

“What?”

“ _Aedan.”_ Hux thinks his own name feels odd in his mouth, sounds foreign to his ears. “You know how much I dislike my name. It’s not--. It doesn’t sound right, you using it.” Ren has never called him anything other than ‘Hux’. For a while, Hux had even begun to doubt whether Ren even _knew_ his first name. It isn’t as though it would have been difficult to find out; Hux’s full name is plastered all over his personal data file, something which he’s sure Ren has rifled through at some point, most likely when he was heavily pregnant and confined to Hux’s quarters. Hux stares at Ren and, to Hux’s dismay, Ren has a small smile on his lips.

“But you don’t have a problem with being called ‘Emperor’?”

Before Hux can reply, Elora begins to cry. Ren moves first, shuffling across the bed to pick her up.

“She’s probably hungry,” he says as he attempts to slowly rock her in his arms.

“Probably,” Hux agrees and stands up off the bed, going to make his daughter a bottle of milk with the supplies that the beta officer and the medics have given to them. He picks up a bottle from the shelf of the bassinet and roots through the large box to find the tin of instant formula milk. Whilst he’s busy, he looks over at Ren, seeing the mighty Knight place a gentle kiss to Elora’s head, holding her tightly against his chest.

Hux can’t help but think of how _wrong_ Ren is to doubt himself; that Hux knows that Ren will be a great father to his daughter, that Ren is going to be the father that Elora _needs_ to protect her. Hux rolls his shoulders, feeling that the aching in his hand and his chest have gone.

‘ _Fine,’_ he thinks to himself, ‘ _I’ll do it.’_

He’ll create an empire where his mate and his daughter will always be safe.

////////////////////////////////////////////

_\--10 months later--_

The footfalls of Hux’s heavy black boots echo across the corridor as he walks down it towards his throne room, taking a second to admire the dark blue sky out of the long windows as he passes. His white cape flaps behind him as he walks, the gold trim around its edges shining in the moonlight, and the dark red underside a bright contrast to the rest of his white uniform. His cape hangs almost floor-length over his shoulders, fastened tightly by a gold chain across the centre of his clavicle. The corridors of his palace are empty, except for a few guards, as it is to be expected at this time of night. His datapad is clutched in his hand as he reads through reports of another successful acquirement of a system into the First Order; his new empire. As he’s looking down at his reports, he feels the golden circlet on top of his head begin to slip over his forehead, the golden leaves on the sides of the band sliding over his temples. He pushes it back into place, smoothing down his red hair in the process. He feels as though he’d only had his hair cut recently though it has seemingly grown longer as of late, so much so that he finds some of it hanging over his forehead, a lot longer than he would usually like it to be, but his hairstyle has been the very least of his concerns over the last 10 months.

Hux can’t say that he’s shocked by how well he’s taken to his new position of leader of the First Order. He’d known his skillset would be sufficient enough to allow him so be successful. Though, casting his mind back, he recalls being relatively shocked when _almost_ the entirety of the troopers and officers who were already memebrs of the First Order had chosen to side with him, to follow him, to swear their allegiance to him, rallying behind him in full support of him becoming the next Supreme Leader, or _Emperor,_ as Ren had decided all those months ago. Of course, at the time that Hux had announced that Snoke had been murdered, there had been some officers who had decided that this was the perfect time to leave the Order, and Hux made no attempt to stop them. He also finds himself reflecting on the destruction of the _Subjugate_ and its crew; those who had chosen to side with Snoke. Hux had personally travelled back to the _Finalizer_ once he’d received word what the _Subjugate_ had been located. The amount of satisfaction he’d felt standing on the bridge, watching as his fighters annihilated the _Subjugate_ into space dust had been almost overwhelming, knowing that he was punishing those who’d dared choose to stand with Snoke and aid him in kidnapping Ren. He’ll deal with all enemies in the same way if he must, regardless of whether they are former members of the Order or not. Besides, none of the new foes he’s made within the last 10 months have been able to get near him as a result of Ren’s vigilant watch over his Emperor. The omega has taken it upon himself to constantly gather intelligence on Hux’s potential adversaries, leaving the overly political and bureaucratic tasks to Hux. Often is the case that Ren will declare to Hux that he’s found a disobedient faction growing in an unaffiliated system and leave Hux’s palace for a few days to take care of the problematic rebels, returning to their palace in bloodied robes with the news that his enemies have been slaughtered accordingly.

As he approaches his throne room, Hux glances again out of the windows, noting the debris and general scruffiness of the palace’s grounds. The castle itself is still under construction, seeing as the structure is an old Imperial base found by Ren on a little planetoid in the furthest corner of the galaxy, away from the prying eyes of the Resistance. Ren has been absolutely adamant that he doesn’t want word of his daughter’s existence getting to the Resistance, for political and personal reasons. Ren has also demanded that Hux be _vigilant_ in choosing the people who will take care of Elora when both he and Hux are indisposed. After much deliberation, Hux had decided to contact the young beta officer on board the _Finalizer,_ the one who had donated her supply of essentials for Elora. When Ren had travelled back to the _finalizer_ to escort her to Hux’s palace, Hux remembers being able to tell by her eyes that she would take good care of Elora for them. Ren had trusted Hux’s instincts about the beta officer, named Tala, though Hux currently has no doubts that Ren has done some sort of Force manoeuvre on her mind to check her intentions, obviously finding that all her intentions are good.

Hux stands in front of the large, red double-doors that lead into his throne room. He pushes one of them open and enters, the room is engulfed in the warm lights of the four small chandeliers hanging from the curved ceiling, with moonlight pouring in from the tall windows on the left-hand wall. It’s the grandest room in the palace though Hux only really uses it for when prisoners are needed to brought before him. He has a conference room for political business so he supposes that his throne room is just for show. A red carpet runs down the centre of the room, lined with gold trimmings and ending at the foot of his throne at the opposite end of the room. His throne is elevated slightly on a small, raised platform, giving him more of a leering presence in front of whoever it is that is kneeling before him. He supposes having a throne is rather redundant, but he feels he holds more of an aura of magnificent ferocity when he’s sat in it in his white and red uniform with his gold circlet. He gets the same sort of comfort from the throne in the same way he had done by wearing his greatcoat on his shoulders as he paced along the bridge of the _Finalizer._ The frame of the throne is made of gold, with red cushions, matching the rest of the colour scheme of his palace. Ren also has a fascination, or borderline _obsession_ , with Hux sitting in the throne and Ren kneeling next to him, so Hux supposes he’ll keep it, for Ren’s sake if nothing else.

Hux had been under the impression that Ren is in their bedchamber, watching over a sleeping Elora whilst Hux attended to some final construction plans about the security systems in his palace. But as he closes the door behind him, he sees his omega sat in front of his throne, his legs crossed underneath him and his back to the door. He doesn’t turn when the sound of the door shutting echoes across the chamber. Hux stands still in front of the door, feeling worried that something is wrong.

“Ren?” Hux calls out loudly, knowing that his voice would grab his attention.

Ren turns his head to make eye-contact with Hux, gesturing for Hux to come closer. Feeling more confused than he did before, Hux walks closer to Ren and finally sees what his mate is looking at. Elora is standing up next to her father’s throne, holding onto the seat for stability. Hux stands next to Ren, watching his daughter.

“That’s the first time she’s managed to stand up on her own,” Hux says.

“Mm,” Ren nods in response, keeping the entirety of his concentration on Elora in case she falls.

Hux notes that Ren is wearing his sleeping attire; his loose, black trousers and black t-shirt, grey socks on his feet for extra warmth as their bedchamber gets a little cold sometimes. Elora is dressed in her sleepsuit, white with some form of tiny red flowers imprinted all over it. Her bright red hair, although naturally curly, looked extremely messy, as though she’s already been in bed tonight.

“Shouldn’t the pair of you be asleep?” Hux says as he sits down next to Ren, crossing his legs. He sets his datapad down in his lap, turning the device off.

“She wouldn’t settle. I thought if she saw you then she’d go to sleep so I brought her in here because that’s where I thought you’d be--” Ren’s hand suddenly lifts into the air, his fingers spread wide. Hux looks over at Elora, who is floating off the floor a little. Ren moves his hand and Elora is suddenly back on her feet, her tiny hands gripping the leg of Hux’s throne, babbling happily.

“You can’t use the Force every time she’s going to fall,” Hux says, “It’s alright for her to fall down sometimes. She’ll get back up on her own.”

Ren looks at Hux from the corner of his eye as though he highly disapproves of what Hux has just said.

“I don’t want her to fall,” Ren replies in a low tone, “I want her to know that we’re protecting her.”

Hux suddenly feels an odd sensation in his mind, an image working its way into his head. It feels unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time, and Hux guesses that it’s something to do with Ren, since he can feel his mate’s discomfort through their bond. Hux concentrates on the image, trying to eliminate the distortion. He sees a small, dark-haired boy sitting on the floor with his hands covering his eyes as he cries, a tall man and woman standing in front of him. Hux can’t see their faces.

“ _He’s got to learn to fall, Leia!” The man says, raising his voice at the woman and pointing at the crying boy. “We can’t rush to Ben’s side every time he falls! He needs to learn to stand back up on his own!”_

The image fades extremely quickly before Hux can hear the woman’s response, as though Ren has realised that Hux can see the image that’s on repeat inside his mind, but that doesn’t matter. Hux heard the name that the man had called the crying boy _and_ the woman, and Hux puts the pieces together quickly, realising that the image is a memory of Ren’s from when he was just a small child. Hux stares at his mate, seeing the raw hurt in his dark eyes. Hux presses his hand to Ren’s furthest cheek and pushes his head towards him, so Hux can press his lips to Ren’s temple in a comforting kiss.

“Come on,” Hux says, “Let’s get the two of you back to bed.”

They both stand up, and Elora looks over at them. Hux hands his datapad to Ren for him to carry as Hux steps closer to his daughter, her eyes lighting up as Hux approaches her.

“Dada!” She says, opening her arms wide, signalling her want to be picked up by him.

“I know, darling,” Hux says as he lifts her into his arms, sitting her on his hip. He brushes stray hair from her forehead, smoothing the small, red curls back into their place. “You should be asleep, shouldn’t you? As should your father.”

Hux turns back around to see Ren attempting to stifle a yawn but failing miserably. Hux and Ren walk out of the throne room side-by-side, Elora’s head resting on Hux’s shoulder. The walk back to their bedchamber is quite long and, as they begin to walk up the stairs, Hux feels Ren’s fingers brush against his own as they get halfway up. Ren loosely knits their fingers together as they walk closer together, their hips almost touching. They say nothing to each other, but Hux can feel the calmness radiating through their bond in his mind. Hux can admit to himself that he was a little concerned about the state of their bond after he’d learned from Ren that Snoke had made several attempts to completely sever it and Hux didn’t know whether such malicious actions would’ve affected their bond, limiting its recovery. After all, when he’d found his mate all alone in that cold room in Snoke’s citadel, he’d felt the little flickering flame _almost_ die, its embers fading from existence, and Hux had supposed that the little flame would never be properly reignited after suffering from such a cold attack.

But he’d been wrong.

The little flame in his mind is no longer small; it doesn’t flicker solemnly in the corner of his mind anymore. It burns brightly at the centre, illuminating and engulfing each of his thoughts and all of his senses. As a result of feeling such warmth, Hux has no doubts now that their bond is strong, fully healed from the damage that Snoke had malevolently tried to cause. Ren is still _his_ omega, and Hux has no intentions of allowing anything to ever change this.

They stand outside the black double-doors of their quarters and Ren lets go of Hux’s hand to open the door for him, seeing as Elora has seemingly fallen asleep on her father’s shoulder. Hux walks in first, seeing that the dark sheets on their bed are in disarray and he absently wonders whether it was indeed Elora who couldn’t settle into sleep as Ren had said, or whether it was Ren himself who found himself being unable to sleep. The red curtains are drawn over the two large windows on the back wall, their large bed settled in-between, the dark wood of the bedframe blending in with the darkness. Hux walks through their quarters to a small door in the back right corner of the room, painted red. Ren opens it for Hux again, and they both walk into Elora’s room. Despite her having her own separate room, Ren had wanted an additional doorway made between their room and Elora’s. Hux had agreed, knowing that Ren would feel safer if he has quick access to their daughter if he senses that something is wrong with her.

Elora’s room is painted a light shade of red, almost pink, and decorated with furniture that matches. Hux walks over to Elora’s white crib and shifts her weight in his arms, seeing that she’d fallen sound asleep on the walk up here. He rocks her in his arms for a moment, she breathes quietly through her nose. Hux can’t help but see so much of Ren in her. Despite her having Hux’s bright red hair, Elora has inherited Ren’s deep, brown eyes. The way she looks at him just reminds Hux of the way Ren looks at him; a kind of wild admiration. He presses a kiss to her forehead before lowering her down into the crib, covering her with her blanket. Hux suddenly feels Ren’s presence behind him, the omega pressing his lips to the skin underneath Hux’s ear. Ren’s hands reach over Hux’s shoulders to unclip the chain of his cape, allowing it to fall gracefully off Hux’s shoulders.

“I…missed you,” Ren breathes, “you were gone for too long.”

Hux turns around to face his mate. “I was only in the Conference Room, Ren. I was still on the planet.”

“That doesn’t matter. You weren’t with _me._ ”

Ren takes Hux’s hand and leads him out of Elora’s room and back to their bed. Ren begins to undress Hux, peeling each of his layers of white clothing off gently until his alpha is stood only in his black boxer briefs, black undershirt and gold circlet around his head. Ren’s fingers slide gently up Hux’s cheeks and lift the circlet from his head, being careful not to pull Hux’s hair with it. He sets it down gently on the bedside table, ready for Hux to put it on again in the morning. Ren turns back to Hux, who’s staring up at him, and he leans down to take his alpha’s lips against his own in a desperate kiss, seeing as they’ve been apart for most of the day. Hux presses his hand against Ren’s chest and pushes him back towards the bed. Ren breaks the kiss as he climbs underneath the dark duvet, shuffling over to his side of the bed and pulling Hux with him. As soon as Hux is lying down, Ren’s body presses against his, the omega lying his head on Hux’s chest.

“I need you to go to the Neruos system in a couple of days,” Hux says as his arms encompass Ren’s body, “I’ve received word of a rebellious faction that has begun to get rowdy on Neruos IV. I need them disposed of. _Quietly._ ”

“Consider it done.” Ren responds quickly, almost without thought.

“I mean it, Ren. _Quietly,_ this time. I can’t have you almost declaring war in my name again.”

Hux recalls the last mission he’d sent his Knight on; to a small moon in the middle of the Outer Rim, where Ren had blown his cover after he’d discovered that the man he’d been sent to gain intel on was the creator of an elaborate scheme to assassinate Hux. To say Ren had gone berserk is an understatement; the Stormtroopers who had accompanied Ren on his mission had reported an _‘extreme and unnecessary loss of life’._ Hux had been sat upon his throne when Ren had returned, robes drenched in bright red blood that wasn’t his. Ren had bowed before him, announcing that he’d eliminated one of Hux’s assassins and, whilst Hux knew that Ren could have started a war, Hux couldn’t help but appreciate the gesture.

Ren’s weight shifts slightly against his chest as he attempts to get comfy, seemingly ignoring Hux’s last comment. He falls asleep rather quickly, listening to the sound of Hux’s heartbeat.

////////////////////////////////////

Hux leaves their bedchamber rather early the next morning for a meeting with Phasma in the conference room to discuss her weekly reports on the training of her troops, leaving Ren to see to Elora’s morning routine. Phasma is already waiting for him when he reaches the room, leaning against the conference table with her arms folded across her chest, still choosing to wear her usual chrome armour. Hux has told her on numerous occasions that there is no need for her to travel to his palace wearing such heavy battle armour, that her wearing casual clothes wouldn’t offend him, but Phasma has chosen to ignore him, and continues to wear the outfit that Hux is most used to seeing her in. Hux can’t fault her loyalty to him; he can’t imagine successfully running the First Order without Phasma. He’d promoted her, of course, and she’d happily accepted, so Phasma now head of all of the Emperor’s military operations, including the head of Hux’s rigorous Stormtrooper program.

Whilst Phasma is in the midst of informing Hux about the successful distribution of Stormtroopers to a planet in the inner rim in exchange for uses of their natural resources, Hux feels an uncomfortable sensation in his mind. Without even properly processing the feeling, he knows it’s their bond, that there’s something wrong with Ren. But the feeling isn’t something he’d ever experienced before; plenty of times has he been able to feel his mate’s pain or his elation, but this is different. This feeling is making the hairs on the back of Hux’s neck stand on end, making his body temperature increase rather rapidly.

_Hux…_

Ren’s husky voice echoes across his mind, and he sounds rather exhausted, as though he’s just ran a marathon and is dying for a drink. There’s suddenly a knock on the door and, after Hux grants the person permission to enter, the door opens slowly. Tala, the young and kind beta officer who Hux had employed numerous months ago to be Elora’s carer, walks in holding Elora on her hip. Hux and Phasma stand up simultaneously and approach the young woman. Elora still in her pyjamas, her little white and yellow blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her soft, little ginger cat plush held tightly in her hand. As soon as Elora makes eye-contact with her father, she babbles happily and reaches out to him, flexing her fingers.

“My sincerest apologies for interrupting you, sir,” Tala says, as Hux steps closer to her and the young woman hands Elora over to Hux, who is already taking in his daughter’s form, checking her health. She looks content enough, she doesn’t look as though anything ails her. She’s as playful as usual; pressing her small hands to Hux’s cheek and pulling gently on his red hair just above his ear. Ren is supposed to be looking after her, not Tala.

“What is it?” Hux asks, averting his gaze from Elora and back to Tala, who’s begun to nervously play with her dark, braided hair.

“It’s your Knight, sir. He called for me and told me to take Elora far away from him. He told me to find you and to inform you that…it’s begun.”

Hux’s mind reels; Ren has gone into heat.

Ren had mentioned to him a couple of days ago that he believed his heat to be nearing, but with Ren only having one other heat in his _life,_ they’d been reluctant to attempt to predict when it would hit him. And Ren had refused to go back on suppressant. _Understandably so,_ Hux thinks. But he can feel his own desires growing as Ren sinks further into his heat.

“I have to go to him,” Hux says and Tala nods, fully understanding the situation. He turns his attention back to Elora for a moment. “Dada has to go, darling,” he says and the little girls stares up at him with adoring brown eyes, “you’ll be good, won’t you?”

She babbles back at him and Hux presses a kiss to her cheek before handing her back over to Tala.

“Phasma, ensure no person comes anywhere _near_ the top floor until I give any further orders. Tala, you’re able to take care of her until Ren and I return?”

“Of course, sir. I’ll get her some breakfast and there are spare supplies in her playroom,” Tala smiles at him, bouncing Elora on her hip. “She’ll be fine.”

Hux smiles back at her, being unable to think of the hardship that the young beta has suffered by losing her child _and_ her mate. Hux tries to shake of the thoughts, not wanting to comprehend what that must feel like for her. He apologises to Phasma for cutting their meeting so short, but he’ll know Phasma will understand. She nods her head at him and, after thanking Tala for her loyalty and giving Elora one last kiss, Hux leaves the conference room and walks briskly to his bedchamber, his cape spreading out behind him as he walks.

Before Hux is even up the stairs, he catches Ren’s scent and it overpowers him, threatening to make him succumb to his rut already. He stands in front of the door to his quarters, hearing a groaning sound coming from the other side. Hux enters, seeing his omega writhing in their bed, his back arching off the mattress. His hands grasp at the sheets, his eyes scrunched shut, though they begin to open slowly as he obviously senses his approaching alpha. Hux steps closer, feeling extremely hot underneath his layers of clothes. He halts at the foot of the bed, staring down at his sweating mate.

“Ren?”

“Hux. I can’t…control it. The heat. It’s already-- _argh_!”

Ren’s back arches off the mattress again, his heels digging into the bed. Hux exhales slowly, and walks around the side of the bed and sits down next to Ren. Hux knows that the heat has already flooded Ren’s mind; he can feel it.

“Elora…is she safe? I might have hurt her. I can’t remember, Hux, I can’t…”

“Ssh,” Hux soothes, pulling his gloves off and sliding his hand along Ren’s chest, underneath his jaw and stopping to cup his cheek, absently admiring the light pink scar on his omega’s young face. Ren seemingly melts into his touch. “Elora is fine. You haven’t harmed her.”

Ren closes his eyes for a long couple of seconds, seemingly in relief that he hadn’t hurt his daughter when his heat had begun to consume him. He shifts awkwardly in the bed, kicking the blankets further away from him. When he opens his eyes again, Hux sees that Ren’s eyes have become darker, pupils dilated.

“I need you, Hux.”

Hux feels his arousal beginning to grow, his trousers becoming tighter as he watches Ren’s heat take over his body. The heat is affecting their bond in a way that Hux didn't anticipate; its as though they're almost _sharing_ the heat, Hux can feel the desire radiating through his consciousness, overpowering his senses.

“It's alright. I'm going look after you,” Hux says, leaning down to kiss his mate, noting how wet Ren’s lips are. Hux moves his hand from Ren’s face as he breaks the kiss, moving to lift his black shirt off over his head, seeing how the omega’s chest is gleaming with sweat. With the shirt tossed aside, Hux slides his palm over the front of Ren’s trousers, touching his hard cock. Ren groans, bucking his hips into Hux’s touch. Hux pulls the trousers off completely, taking Ren’s dark grey socks with them, leaving his omega lying completely naked and writhing in their bed.

“Touch yourself whilst I undress,” Hux orders and Ren desperately reaches for his own cock, wrapping his fingers around himself, stroking himself whilst his hungry eyes stay locked on Hux.

Hux stands up slowly, holding his omega’s gaze. He unclips his cape and allows it to drop from his shoulders and onto to the floor. Ren pushes himself up onto his elbows and sits up slowly, watching his alpha’s lithe movements whilst he strokes himself, grinding his ass into the bed with vigour. Hux unzips his jacket, leaving it to slide slowly down his arms to the floor. He does the same with his white undershirt, unbuttoning it agonisingly slowly, watching as Ren desperately watches on. Once he’s removed his boots, trousers and underwear and is standing in all his naked glory in front of Ren, he raises his hands up to his head, ready to remove his golden circlet.

“No,” Ren says abruptly between his gasps. “…Leave that on.”

Hux’s hands freeze in the air, feeling slightly shocked at Ren’s request. But, for once, Hux does at he’s told and lowers his hands to his sides. Ren sits bolt upright and shuffles to the end of the bed, his hands grasping hold of Hux’s hips to pull him towards him. As soon as it’s within his reach, Ren slides his mouth over the top of Hux’s cock, taking in his whole length into his mouth in one large gulp. Hux lets out as a gasp and has to steady himself by placing his hand on one of Ren’s shoulders to stop his knees from buckling. He looks down at Ren, who’s pulling and pushing his mouth on and off of Hux’s shaft, occasionally licking the precum from the tip with a quick flick of his tongue. Hux’s mind is completely hazy by this point, thinking of nothing else but his desire to fuck Ren as deep and as hard as he can. Ren pulls his mouth completely off Hux’s cock with a wet _pop!_ and stares up at his alpha, as though he’s waiting for Hux to give him his orders.

“Onto the bed.” Hux runs his hand through Ren’s dark hair, brushing back the strands that have stuck to his sweating forehead. “On your back,” Hux adds, knowing that this is Ren’s most favoured position, Hux’s too; he likes to look at Ren’s face as he drives his cock into him.

Ren moves quickly onto the bed, bouncing slightly as he lands on the mattress. He spreads his legs wide, bending his knees slightly so Hux can fit between them. Hux does, giving his own cock a slight stroke in the process. As soon as Hux is between his legs, Ren feels two of Hux’s fingers circling around the muscles of his ass teasingly before they completely push in, thrusting in and out of him in a scissoring manner. Ren cries out, throwing his head back and attempting to open his legs further, feeling desperate to be filled with his alpha’s cock.

“You’re so wet,” Hux says, pulling his fingers out slowly. “So ready.”

He runs both of his hands up Ren’s legs, smoothing down the inside of his thighs and over the large scar on the lower half of his abdomen from where he’d given birth to their daughter, and then he moves his palm to Ren’s left hip where a large scar sits from being hit with a bowcaster. Both wounds had healed well though both have left a permanent mark on Ren’s body. But Hux adores all of Ren’s scars; they’re a part of him and his story.

Hux shuffles forward slightly, pressing the tip of his cock to Ren’s entrance. As he pushes himself in, he hears Ren exhale in a shudder, accompanied by a low moan.

“Knot me, Hux,” Ren says as his alpha begins to increase the pace of his thrusting, his grip on Ren’s hips getting tighter as he drives his cock deeper. As Hux leans forward to kiss Ren, he feels the circlet on his head beginning to slip down over his forehead, but to his surprise, Ren lifts it back into place before grabbing both of Hux’s cheeks and pushing their lips together roughly in an open-mouthed kiss, Ren moaning loudly into Hux’s mouth as his alpha continues to fuck him. Hux plants kisses down from Ren’s mouth to a sensitive spot under his jaw, and Hux hears his omega’s breath hitch in his throat as Hux begins to suck and nip at the patch of skin where Hux had left purple marks on his skin in the past. Feeling content that Ren will have another mark on his neck in the morning, Hux sits up, hooking his hands behind Ren’s knees and bending them back until they’re almost touching his own stomach, opening him up wider for Hux’s cock. Hux grits his teeth so hard that his jaw begins to ache.

“Hux,” Ren whispers in a breathless gasp, gripping the sheets between his fingers, his head thrown back. “Take me, keep going. Please.”

“Tell me what I am, Ren,” Hux replies, slowing his pace teasingly and immediately seeing a wild fever growing in Ren’s eyes, obviously being frustrated at Hux’s lethargic thrusting.

“You’re my alpha. My mate. My _Emperor._ You’re the only one-- _ah!—_ the only one who can…f-fuck!”

Hux’s hands have released Ren’s legs, allowing them to fall back to their normal position. Hux’s fingers wrap around Ren’s cock and begin jerking him off as the omega is halfway through his sentence, synchronising his thrusting with his hand movements. Ren’s moans are incredibly loud and spur Hux’s thrusting on more, so much so that Hux feels his knot beginning to grow. Hux’s mind is completely ablaze with emotion.

“Come inside me, Hux. I need you to _fill_ me,” Ren says desperately, his chest heaving for air.

“Kylo,” Hux replies with a slight shake of his head. “I can’t. You’re too _fertile.”_

“ _Ah_! I don’t care!” Ren shouts as his body begins to tremble as he feels his orgasm approaching rapidly. “Hux, _please!_ ”

Hux comes first, his knot completely swelling inside of Ren and stretching his walls wide. The feeling of his alpha coming inside of him is enough to send Ren over the edge and his muscles clench as he comes too, squirting out onto his own stomach with a loud cry. Hux runs his hands along the smooth inside of Ren’s trembling thighs, leaning down to lie on Ren’s chest, trailing kisses across his skin all the way up to his lips. They kiss until Hux feels his knot shrink and he’s able to pull out, sending another shiver across Ren’s body as his cock pulls past the tense ring of muscle. Hux rolls off Ren’s body and lies down next to them, both still breathing heavily. Ren shuffles closer to him and runs his fingers up Hux’s chest, gliding his fingernails across his alpha’s pale skin.

Ren exhales slowly, lying flat on his back. “The heat has gone. But it’ll be back.”

“Mm,” Hux agrees as he shifts onto his side to, propping himself up on his elbow. “It lasted for four days last time.”

“It might be different this time. I’ve been off the suppressants for longer.”

Hux supposes Ren makes a logical argument, though Hux doesn’t know whether that’ll mean Ren’s heat will be longer or shorter. Either way, Hux will remain with him for the duration, giving Ren exactly what he wants, what he needs. Hux finds himself casting his mind back to that day when he’d found Ren in writhing in the middle of the floor in his quarters on the _Finalizer,_ overwhelmed by his first ever heat and the way Hux had quickly succumb to his own rut, and they’d quickly become bonded. So much has happened since then and Hux wishes he could go back and change some of it, but then he supposes he may never have gotten to this point if things hadn’t occurred in the manner that they did.

“I’ll have to cancel your mission to Neruos IV.”

“Just postpone it,” Ren replies, “I’ll go when this has passed. That faction needs to be taken care of.” There’s a dark tone to Ren’s voice, as though he’s already planned the way he’s going to disembowel those who choose to stand against his Emperor.

“Ren,” Hux begins, “I said _quietly_ this time. No dismemberment.”

A small smile appears on Ren’s lips. “Dismemberment can be quiet.” He looks up at Hux, his smile fading and his eyes becoming more serious than Hux has seen in a long time. “They’re your enemies. They’ve chosen to stand against you. They deserve to be destroyed.”

Hux supposes he appreciates the sentiment, but he’s more concerned for Ren’s safety rather than how many enemies he’s making. It’s all very well dealing with smaller factions that can easily be taken care of, but it would only be a matter of time until a bigger group, like the Resistance, shows up on their front door demanding their surrender. Hux would never go quietly and he’s damn sure neither would Ren. Protecting Elora from the meddling Resistance has been one of their priorities since day one; Ren’s for obvious, personal reasons. Hux studies his omega’s face for a moment, seeing that Ren is itching to say something.

“If I have to annihilate half of the galaxy in your name to get you what you deserve then I will.”

Hux lowers his head and kisses Ren, feeling his golden circlet stay strongly held in place this time. He finds himself smiling into the kiss as Ren’s hand moves idly up to hold his cheek.

In all his years of building and serving the First Order, Hux can honestly say he’s never met anyone as reckless as Kylo Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤️ THE END ❤️
> 
> Oh fuck. I can't explain how much it means to me that so many people have read this, left kudos and left comments. I'm forever grateful for your kindness!  
> There'll definitely be more Kylux works from me in the future!  
> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> My tumblr is also [here.](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)  
> (And if anyone understands the 'redhaired Princess Elora' reference, I love you).


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